EU freedom of movement ended with Brexit, but EU citizens living in the UK have continued to feel insecure about their rights, with Brexit impacting negatively on feelings of belonging in the UK. Polish and German migrants are two of the largest groups of EU-born residents in the UK, with their countries typically seen as belonging to two different parts of Europe, despite their interconnected histories. Our research shows that media representations of Polish and German migrants use stereotypes that reproduce historical ideas of ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ Europe structured by economic, cultural and racialised hierarchies. We find that media representation impacts on migrants’ sense of belonging in the UK as well as their engagement with politics. We recommend ways in which journalists, editors and media regulators can improve coverage of Europe’s East. Such changes would indirectly improve the experiences of migrants’ living in the UK and improve public knowledge of the history and politics of post-socialist countries.