British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is poised to reveal a new initiative on Monday aimed at tightening immigration regulations, responding to voter concerns about high immigration rates.
Starmer, leading the center-left Labour Party which achieved a sweeping success in July’s elections, is facing pressure due to the rising prominence of Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party, which advocates against immigration.
Many voters are growing increasingly discontented with the high influx of immigrants, arguing that it has overburdened public services and heightened ethnic tensions in certain areas of the nation.
With Monday’s legislation, Starmer is vowing to end what his office described as “Britain’s failed experiment in open borders,” less than two weeks after Reform UK took advantage of the immigration issue to secure victories in local elections.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is vowing to end what his office described as “Britain’s failed experiment in open borders.” (AP Photo/Jon Super)
The government also said it plans to raise English language requirements to include all adult dependents, who must show a basic understanding of English. The government said the goal behind the change is to help integration and cut the risks of exploitation.
“This is a clean break from the past and will ensure settlement in this country is a privilege that must be earned, not a right,” Starmer said.
“And when people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language,” he added.
Employers’ groups are concerned that tightening the rules on foreign workers will make it more difficult for companies to fill jobs.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has been gaining popularity. (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
The number of European Union migrants to Britain fell significantly after Brexit. But new visa rules, an increase in people arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong as well as higher net numbers of foreign students have led to an overall surge in immigration in recent years.
“We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment,” British interior minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement. “We are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system.”
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
