UK PM Starmer to unveil ‘radical’ immigration clampdown as Reform party gains rattle Labour

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure to tackle the issue following the anti-immigration Reform party’s resounding win in recent local elections. They are riding high in the polls, as Labour struggles. — Reuters pic

LONDON, May 12 — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Monday unveil his government’s “radical” landmark policy aimed at cutting the number of people arriving in the country as anti-immigration parties surge in the polls.

Starmer will “announce an end to Britain’s failed experiment in open borders that saw migration soar to one million a year by ensuring people coming here earn the right to stay in the country”, said his Downing Street office.

The government’s Immigration White Paper will then be presented to parliament.

Starmer is under pressure to tackle the issue following the anti-immigration Reform party’s resounding win in recent local elections. They are riding high in the polls, as Labour struggles.

“I promised to restore control and cut migration, and I’m delivering with tough new measures,” the prime minister wrote on X Sunday.

Labour vowed in its general election manifesto last year to significantly reduce net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months to last June.

Under the new plans, people will have to live in the UK for 10 years before qualifying for settlement and citizenship, up from five years currently.

English language rules will also be strengthened, with all adult dependents required to demonstrate a basic understanding.

“When people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language,” Starmer will say.

“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control. Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall,” he will add.

‘Radical’ package

Interior minister Yvette Cooper, who will present the white paper to parliament, said Sunday the plans would include new powers to deport foreign criminals committing offences in the UK.

Currently, the government is only informed of foreign nationals who receive prison sentences. Deportation arrangements generally focus on those sentenced to more than a year in prison.

Under the new arrangements however, all foreign nationals convicted of offences will be flagged to the government, which will have wider removal powers, said the interior ministry.

“The system for returning foreign criminals has been far too weak for too long,” said Cooper. “We need much higher standards.”

This “radical package of reforms” would also target lower-skilled immigration, said Cooper.

It will include new visa controls “lifting the threshold for skilled worker visas to reduce lower skilled migration”, she wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. Foreign workers will be required to have a degree to secure a job in the UK.

Cooper also said she aimed to cut 50,000 lower-skilled worker visas this year.

High-skilled individuals “who play by the rules and contribute to the economy”, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders, would be fast-tracked under the new plans, according to Downing Street.

“For years we have had a system that encourages businesses to bring in lower-paid workers, rather than invest in our young people,” Starmer will say.

The government is also under pressure to stop the flow of migrants crossing the Channel from France to England on flimsy rubber dinghies. More than 36,800 made the journey last year, according to British government figures.

According to the Missing Migrants Project, 84 people died attempting the crossing from in 2024, including at least 14 children. — AFP