Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pledged to abolish the right to remain immigration principle of the UK if elected as British Prime Minister. He called the main route “grossly unfair” for immigrants to gain British citizenship. This threatens tens of thousands of people legally living in the UK with deportation. They must meet strict rules.
The Reform UK leader said his plans would target the “Boriswave” – the wave of legal immigrants who arrived in the UK under post-Brexit rules. These rules were established by Boris Johnson. He described it as the “greatest betrayal of democratic wishes certainly in anyone’s living memory”.
Farage’s Plans
Unveiling his plans, Farage said 800,000 people who “tend to be young, tend to be low-skilled” were due to qualify for indefinite leave to remain in the UK over the next three to four years.
He said this group were “going to be a huge burden on the state”. He argued that Britain was “not the world’s food bank” and should not provide welfare for people coming in from all over the world.
Farage therefore said he would entirely abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR). This is open to people who have worked and lived in the UK legally for five continuous years, and their dependants. After a minimum of a year on that status, people can apply for a British passport. However, each stage comes with considerable fees.
Farage claimed the policy would save £234bn. This figure was sourced from a Centre for Policy Studies report that has been withdrawn because of a dispute over the numbers. The thinktank said its figures “should not be used”.
Asked whether he would withdraw the £230bn figure in light of this, Farage said it was “without a doubt too low” and “underestimates things”.
Farage said that under a Reform government anyone who had indefinite leave to remain would have it rescinded. They would need to reapply for a visa. This would throw the lives and status of many families into uncertainty.
Asked to substantiate his claim in Monday’s Daily Mail that most migrants rely on benefits, Farage said he was “firmly of the belief with research backing it up” that more than 50% of the people due to become eligible for ILR in the next few years “are not working, have not worked and in all probability will never, ever work”.
Instead of granting them ILR, Reform would make non-UK citizens continue to apply for visas with new high salary thresholds. However, the party has not specified what those thresholds would be.
The Times reported they would be set at about £60,000. This would be a considerable increase on the current skilled worker visa. Currently, it requires people to earn £41,700 a year.
Those visas would not allow the people who have them to access NHS services or benefits. They would require advanced English. Additionally, there would be strict new limits on joining for spouses or family members. The changes would also mean that those applying for citizenship must wait at least seven years. They must prove a fluent level of English. They would also need to give up citizenship of any other country.
Opposition to Plan
Keir Starmer’s political spokesperson said the country was at a crossroads between “national renewal” and “the path of division and decline, which Reform wants to put the country on”.
She said: “Every week Nigel Farage sets out unrealistic, unworkable and unfunded plans. You’ve heard the prime minister talk about the politics of grievance that Reform thrives on. They don’t want to tackle the issues facing the country, they want to foster division.”
Labour has already announced plans to introduce tough restrictions on indefinite leave to remain. This means most applicants must have been in the UK for 10 years before they can apply.
However, a Labour source disputed claims in the Telegraph that significant numbers of migrants with indefinite leave to remain were receiving benefits, saying it was only about 16% of all foreign claims. The majority – 60%, equating to about 770,000, according to government figures are EU citizens who have settled status and whose access to benefits is guaranteed by the Brexit deal.
A Labour source said: “Farage’s not even half-baked announcement has already fallen apart. Yet again, Reform have no credible plan and their only answer is ‘don’t know’.”
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said: “Thousands of Londoners have indefinite leave to remain. They have legal rights and are our friends, neighbours and colleagues, contributing hugely to our city. Threatening to deport people living and working here legally is unacceptable.”
