The UK risks becoming an “island of strangers” without tougher immigration controls, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said, as he outlined a series of policies aimed at significantly reducing net migration.
Starmer announced plans to “take back control of our borders” and close the “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration. Net migration reached 728,000 in the 12 months leading to June 2024, with figures under the previous Conservative government peaking over 900,000.
While not setting a numerical target, Starmer expressed his goal of significantly reducing immigration levels by the end of the current parliament. “Nations depend on rules, fair rules,” Starmer said at a press conference.
“In a diverse nation like ours, and I celebrate that, these rules become even more important. Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”
As part of the measures, foreign workers will be required to pass an English language test, and care homes will be prohibited from hiring staff from abroad. Additionally, the government will eliminate the right of foreign workers to automatically apply for settlement after five years, extending the wait to 10 years.
Starmer also plans to deport more foreign criminals and require employers to train UK workers. Skilled workers will also need to have a degree to enter the UK.
These announcements are part of Labour’s immigration white paper, set to be presented to parliament. They follow the strong electoral performance of Nigel Farage’s party in local elections earlier this month.
Starmer insisted that reducing immigration would not harm the economy, arguing that the link between higher immigration and economic growth had been “tested” by the previous government. “We’ve had the highest net migration when the last government lost control, to nearly 1 million, and stagnant growth. That link doesn’t hold on that evidence,” he said.
Echoing the Brexit slogan, Starmer said, “We will deliver what you’ve asked for time and again, and we will take back control of our borders.”
While he declined to set a specific migration target, Starmer promised that the numbers would fall “significantly” by the end of the parliament, with a commitment to take further action if necessary.
“If we need to do more to release pressure on housing and our public services, then mark my words, we will,” he added.
When asked about potential opposition within his party, Starmer emphasized that controlling immigration is a “core value” for Labour.
“We should be choosing who we want, higher skills, the high talent routes into our country. And it must be fair,” he said.
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