The government is rattled on immigration. Forget its liberal metropolitan supporters: just-about-managing voters from Whitehaven to Waltham Cross are deadly serious about the need to curb the numbers coming here. After a last-minute get-tough announcement by Yvette Cooper failed to stop massive Reform gains earlier this month, Keir Starmer has now gone on the attack with a migration White Paper.
If Labour is to convince potential Tory and Reform electors that it is serious about immigration, vague words are not enough
Apart from making it more difficult for migrants to obtain full residency rights, and tightening English language and education requirements, this proposes changing the law to stop foreign criminals and illegal migrants winning the right to stay on human rights grounds. Currently the strong presumption in favour of deportation is subject to a showing of exceptional circumstances, or in the case of those imprisoned for four or more years ‘very compelling’ ones.
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