KEIR Starmer said the UK risks becoming an “island of strangers” without controls on immigration as he unveiled a crackdown including plans to cut overseas care workers and tighten English language requirements.
In a Downing Street speech, the Prime Minister said the Labour Government would “take back control of our borders” and close the book on a “squalid chapter” for politics and the economy.
Ministers are looking to bring down net migration figures, which stood at 728,000 in the year to mid-2024.
Starmer said on Monday he wanted levels to have fallen significantly by the end of the Parliament, without setting a numerical target.
He said: “Let me put it this way, nations depend on rules, fair rules.
“Sometimes they are written down, often they are not, but either way, they give shape to our values, guide us towards our rights, of course, but also our responsibilities, the obligations we owe to each other.
“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.”
Under the white paper proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship, but so-called “high-contributing” individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning that they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
Meanwhile, skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
Echoing the slogan used by Brexit campaigners during the 2016 EU referendum, Starmer said: “We will deliver what you’ve asked for time and again, and we will take back control of our borders.”
The Prime Minister has promised to “tighten up” all elements of the system but is facing pushback against plans to stop foreign recruitment of care workers from figures within the sector.
Care England’s chief executive Martin Green earlier labelled the Government’s plans as “cruel”.
The announcement comes less than a fortnight after Reform UK surged to victory in local council elections across England, a result that deputy leader Richard Tice attributed to frustrations about the immigration system.
The Conservatives have said that the Prime Minister is “trying to take credit for recent substantial reductions in visa numbers that resulted from Conservative reforms in April 2024”.
