Reform UK has been accused of posing a “threat to democracy” after Nigel Farage pledged to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK and apply the policy retrospectively to migrants who already hold the status.
In an article published on Monday, Farage said ILR which allows migrants to live, work and study in Britain permanently would be replaced with a five-year renewable visa subject to stricter conditions. Migrants would be denied access to benefits and healthcare unless insured, and dependants would be barred unless applicants were high earners.
Farage claimed the measure was necessary to reverse what he called “the Boriswave” of legal migration during Boris Johnson’s premiership. He argued the current system threatened to “bankrupt our bloated welfare state”, adding: “We will rescind ILR statuses that have already been granted. We will also restore the treasured status of British citizenship.”
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s head of government efficiency, wrote separately that the changes would result in “hundreds of thousands” losing their right to settled status. He said many would leave voluntarily after losing access to welfare, while others would face removal under “Operation Restoring Justice”, Reform’s proposed deportation scheme.
The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, condemned the policy at his party’s conference in Bournemouth, calling Reform “a threat to our democracy, to things we hold dear, British values – decency, tolerance, respect for the rule of law”.
Reform, which currently holds five parliamentary seats, is leading national opinion polls and is considered a serious contender for government. Farage is due to address a press conference later today, while Labour ministers are also expected to respond.
No post-war British government has proposed deportations on this scale. Analysts note that Farage’s plan resembles “remigration” policies previously considered taboo in mainstream UK politics since Enoch Powell’s dismissal from the Conservative front bench in 1968.