UK Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch says the Labour Party and Prime Minister Keir Starmer can’t be trusted in securing borders.
Badenoch stated this in response to Starmer’s announcement on plans to “take back control of our borders” and close the “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration.
ALSO READ: Immigration rules: UK faces risk of becoming ‘island of strangers’ — Starmer
Starmer also said the UK risks becoming an “island of strangers” without tougher immigration controls, outlining a series of policies aimed at significantly reducing net migration.
According to Starmer, the net migration reached 728,000 in the 12 months leading to June 2024, with figures under the previous Conservative government peaking at over 900,000.
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.
In a swift reaction, Badenoch said, “Keir Starmer once called all immigration laws racist. So why would anyone believe he actually wants to bring immigration down?”
Badenoch added that the government previously laughed off her proposal to end the “automatic route to British citizenship”.
She accused Starmer, who is nine months into office, of voting against the Tories’ recent efforts to cut migration numbers.
“Starmer suddenly wants you to think he cares,” she said, claiming that the Labour Party and Starmer “can’t be trusted” to protect our borders.
(BBC)
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