Labour Vows Radical Overhaul of UK Citizenship Path with Tough New Rules

Liverpool – Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce a major crackdown on migration with a radical overhaul of the main route for immigrants to gain permanent settlement in the UK, positioning herself as a, “tough home secretary”, in a direct challenge to the rising influence of Reform UK.

Under the stringent measures to be unveiled at the Labour Party conference, migrants seeking to settle in Britain will face a demanding new set of criteria. To be eligible for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), applicants will be required to demonstrate a high standard of English, maintain a clean criminal record, and prove they have volunteered in their local community.

Furthermore, the proposed changes will mandate that applicants must be in work, paying national insurance, and not be claiming benefits.

In a speech designed to address voter concerns over immigration, Ms Mahmood will admit that some within her own party, “won’t always like what I do”. However, she will argue that toughness on borders and a fair migration system are essential components of an, “open, generous, tolerant”, country.

"I am fighting for a vision of this country that is distinctly our own", she is expected to say on the second day of the conference in Liverpool.

The announcement is a calculated move by Labour to reclaim ground on migration, an issue that has become a key political battleground with Reform UK surging in the polls. The new policies are being introduced just days after Reform leader Nigel Farage announced a plan to abolish indefinite leave to remain entirely, a move that could put tens of thousands of people legally settled in Britain at risk of deportation.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer fiercely condemned Mr Farage’s proposal on Sunday, branding it both, “racist”, and, “immoral”. The Prime Minister also warned that such a policy would, “rip this country apart”.

However, Labour's own tougher stance has already drawn sharp criticism from refugee and migrant rights organisations. The Refugee Council accused the government of, “punishing refugees for needing help”, while Minnie Rahman, CEO of the charity Praxis, warned the proposals would create a, “two-tier society”.

Ms Rahman noted the apparent contradiction in the government's approach, stating it was pursuing these measures on the, "very same day the PM finally distances himself from Reform UK’s policies”.

Indefinite leave to remain grants legal migrants the right to live and work in the UK without time limits or the need to renew a visa. Currently, most migrants on work visas can apply after five years. The new plans will be subject to a consultation later this year, but a government white paper has already proposed increasing the waiting period to 10 years.

The Home Office has yet to decide on the specific penalty for having previously claimed benefits, with options ranging from an outright disqualification to a significant delay in eligibility.

In her speech, Ms Mahmood will draw on her own family’s history, speaking of her parents’ arrival in the UK and arguing that the acceptance of migrants is fundamentally linked to their contribution to society.

She is also expected to warn of the dangers of rising nationalism, expressing fears that, “patriotism, a force for good, is turning into something smaller, something more like ethno-nationalism”, and will frame her policies as a bulwark against it.