UK risks becoming ‘island of strangers’, says PM as he unveils immigration plans
Sir 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 will “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.
Target
Sir Keir said on Monday that he wants 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 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.
Control
Echoing the slogan used by Brexit campaigners during the 2016 EU referendum, Sir Keir 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 a pushback against plans to stop foreign recruitment of care workers from figures within the sector.
Care England chief executive Martin Green earlier labelled the Government’s plans “cruel”.
In his speech, Sir Keir added that migration is part of Britain’s national story, and that migrants “make a massive contribution today”.
He added: “But when people come to our country, they should also commit to integration, to learning our language, and our system should actively distinguish between those that do and those that don’t. I think that’s fair.”
He added: “Now, make no mistake, this plan means migration will fall.
“That’s a promise.”
The Prime Minister also said he does not think it is necessary to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to continue his crackdown on immigration, as he recognised the use of international agreements to tackle illegal migration.
Asked at a press conference if going further on immigration would require “disentangling ourselves” from the ECHR, Sir Keir said: “No, I don’t think that that is necessary.
“I also remind myself that the international agreements we’ve signed have given us the basis for the deals that we’ve struck on illegal migration.
“You can’t strike those deals with other countries to work more closely together on law enforcement, to smash the gangs and to work on returns agreements – which is what we want to do – if, in the next breath, you’ll say you don’t believe in international law.”
Balance
Starmer he also told reporters the Government wants to ensure the “right balance” is made in migration cases in relation to the national interest looking at Article 8 of the convention, the right to private and family life.
The Government is reviewing the use of Article 8 particularly focusing on cases where ministers have disagreed with conclusions reached in the courts, after several deportation attempts have been halted by the way the ECHR clause has been interpreted in UK law.
Sir Keir said: “There’s a balance set out in legislation already that needs to be adjusted, in my view, and that’s what we will do.”
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.
Reacting to Sir Keir’s speech, Mr Tice questioned whether the Prime Minister will “actually deliver”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There’s no target, no number that can be measured against.”
The Conservatives have said the Prime Minister is “trying to take credit for recent substantial reductions in visa numbers that resulted from Conservative reforms in April 2024”.
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The “take back control” slogan may have convinced the hard of thinking last time around, but all it did was increase the number of illegal immigrants. Let’s hope the Brits arent dumb enough to fall for this nonsense again.
‘Taking back control’ – to be Trump’s poodle!
So a native of, say, Chubut could not come to work as a teacher in a Welsh-medium school?
The local elections show that if people want policies hostile to immigration they’ll vote Reform. Overwhelmingly. Not Labour looklalike. Is Starmer therefore stupid or what? Not entirely stupid methinks. Looking at what he actually achieves we can see he is highly successful at crushing the Left. So the 70% of voters who want fairer taxes of the wealthy, a lot more nationalisation, and a well funded NHS have no one to represent us at Westminseter. (bit better here in Cymru but not much.) Most of us who have experience of the NHS and care systems – and that’s most of… Read more »
We, myself and my wife, only had one child, a son going on 27 years, as we had to ‘cut our cloth’ etc. He would love to have had a brother/sister but we thought we would ‘do the right thing’. (Cameron?). If we’d had a string of kids, we would have been a burden on the welfare state (if only with universal child benefit) but we have a falling birthrate so need immigrants to fill the gaps to bring up the slack left by us ‘responsible’ now irresponsible apparent non contributors. What the hell do these right wing self appointed… Read more »
> The local elections show that if people want policies hostile to immigration they’ll vote Reform. If they abide by this implementation and reduce net migration to a mangeable level then I will vote for Labour in the next GE, they promised to do this in their manifesto and if they didn’t stick to it I would be voting elsewhere. It won’t stop me from voting for another party in the Senedd but it will ensure that they keep my vote at the GE. > Most of us who have experience of the NHS and care systems – and that’s… Read more »
£500mn and £400mn, not bn***
So Uk Labour are wrapping themselves in the union jack and demonising immigrants – so what’s the difference between them and reform?
Doing Farages bidding again. Same with their keep brexit stance. They have done like the Tories before them, ushered in a nice space for fascism to thrive. These demonising and alienating policies make ne feel more a stranger in my own country
I think Labour in Wales will get hammered now. I hope Plaid are well represented at next year’s elections because reform will gut wales with race hate and incompetance.
Labour politico types looking in, have a word with your boss, he is putting you out of a job.
Remember when British Blairites spread fake allegations of xenophobia towards Scottish and Welsh independence supporters? Remember when Starmer and Gordon Brown compared Welsh independence to a Welsh blood donor demanding that it doesn’t go a Welsh patient? Remember when they said Jeremy Corbyn was literally the same as Nigel Farage, solely because he refused to be an FBPE cultist? Remember when they lost their minds over Brexit and claimed we were turning our backs on millions of Europeans? Remember when they smeared millions of pro-Palestine people as extremists and antisemites? It was all projection. They just wanted to wrestle back… Read more »
1. No, evidence?
2. No, evidence?
3. He enabled Brexit so what’s the difference?
4. We did turn our backs on Europe.
5. Not all pro-Palestinians are antisemites but all antisemites are pro-Palestine.
6. Under FPTP Labour can only be elected as a centrist party. Those that took Labour to the left-left are responsible for Boris Johnson.
1. Watch the Better Together campaign 2. https://nation.cymru/news/starmers-toe-curlingly-awful-pro-union-blood-donor-analogy-sparks-backlash/ 3. David Cameron ran the Remain campaign, Starmer switched Labour’s position from leave to remain, then whipped his MPs to support Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement, an agreement he claimed he hated the previous year 4. These days, Blairites are talking about the EU the same way UKIP used to 5. That’s an utterly pathetic smear, but one that hasn’t shocked me for years 6. “Centrism” doesn’t exist. That’s what Blairites call themselves to hide their shy Toryness. Also, you epitomise what it means to be a “moderate” (another propaganda term): literally nothing… Read more »
1. The Better Together (Campaign) Wikipedia page discusses the negativity of the campaign but doesn’t mention xenophobia. Perhaps you could update it. 2. Agreed, that was crass. 3. Corbyn was Labour leader in 2016 and his lack of support for remain is why Brexit happened. 4. Are they? Says who? 5. See my response to Comrade Johnny. 6. This point has nothing to do with Brexit so I assume it’s an attempt at misdirection. The majority of voters in the UK are small-c conservative. Ignoring the reality of that is why Corbyn took Labour to a historic defeat much to… Read more »
Get your facts right not all Anti Semites are Pro Palestinian. You failed to mention the Neo Nazi Holocaust denying hate groups. Again false information Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 got more votes than what Tony Blair had when he was PM and certainly allot more than Starmer who only had a mandate from One Third of the electorate. Corbyns downfall was he sat on the fence over Brexit and not his policies. The only reason why Boris won the red wall seats was because politicians at Westminster notably Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn were trying their best to stop Brexit… Read more »
38% of the electorate in an advisory referendum.
In Wales, we have had two referendums in each of which there was a majority for devolution and then greater devolution.
Refuk stands to abolish the Senedd.
Some inconsistency there, no?
That’s not what I wrote is it. I wrote that all antisemites are pro-Palestine because that means eradicating Israel which is totally different to wanting a better future for Palestinian people.
I’m sorry, have you noticed that Israel’s closest allies are the far right? You know, actual antisemites? Orban, Bolsonaro, Modi, Javier Milei, the AfD, Le Pen, Wilders and Trump, just to name a few. Israeli flags are even flown at Tommy Robinson rallies
You’re a fed.
You don’t deny supporting the eradication of Israel so here’s a question. Do you support the eradication of Pakistan, another religious state formed in a similar way in a similar era?
You used this tired argument the other day. I’d say you agree more with the far right than the centerists.
Your hero with an idf t shirt in isreali barracks in front of a zionist terrorist who who murdered British soldiers. To help create Isreal
Palestinians don’t want to eradicate isreal. It’s isreal who want to eradicate Palestinian people.
Palestinians may not want to eradicate Israel but unfortunately many of their so-called supporters who’ve hijacked the cause to further their own interest do.
Why not stop this mudslinging and present your route to peace? That’s the way to demonstrate honourable intention.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/11/there-is-suffering-everywhere-you-look-says-mother-of-emaciated-baby-girl-trapped-in-gaza
Looks like Labour HQ have released their bot.
Why not stop this mudslinging and present your route to peace? That’s the way to demonstrate honourable intention.
You do have a route to peace, don’t you?
And what route do suggest? Besides supporting the apartheid state of Isreal?
Here’s my proposal. The international community buys half of Sinai from Egypt to create New Palestine, jointly run by the PA and the UN. Borders would be redrawn to ensure that the two states are equivalent in size and access to resources, and Israel contributes at least the equivalent amount seized since 1967. No-one would be forced to move but some Israeli citizens would become citizens of New Palestine, and some Palestinians would become Israeli citizens. There would be mutual interest in ensuring these citizens were respected. Sensitive areas such as Jerusalem would be handed to the UN. International support… Read more »
Nah the hate filled zionist would never agree to that.
They sat on a hill overlooking Gaza eating popcorn and cheering whilst bombs fell on women and children in Gaza.
Why should the Palestinian people, who gladly welcomed Jewish refugees. When the rest of the world turned theor backs on them. Give more concessions to zionists? Who many aren’t even of Jewish decent.
You’ve no idea because it’s never been proposed. And how is creating a state equivalent to Israel giving concessions? It’s massively more than they have now or even had in 1967. You said yourself that Palestinians don’t call for the destruction of Israel. All they want is the opportunity to be safe and thrive, and have a home they can be proud of.
It’s clear you don’t want this to end.
Why should I when all you do is accuse anyone who is appalled by the genocide committed by isreal as antisemitic?
Maybe stop backing the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv and show some compassion.
You need a plan to demonstrate you’re not one of those who want the status quo to continue because it’s a handy way to express their hatred of Jews. How would they do that if Israelis and Palestinians were happy neighbours? Of course they don’t want to talk solutions.
I have no problem with anyone of Jewish decent and once again you are trying to imply that is not the case. You tried to imply that a few days ago and it’s rather a tired boring argument. To want to put a stop to the genocide of Palestinians doesn’t make you hate Jewish people. It makes you a decent human being. Being anti zionist doesn’t make you antisemitic. What I do have a problem with war crimes and your support of those perpetuating them. The 2 state solution was proposed decades ago and isreal refused to let it happen.… Read more »
A two state solution where one state is in two parts within another is totally unworkable. Israel could never guarantee their security which is why they would not accept it. Hence I refer you to my alternative proposal.
Again you seem to be proposing handing back the land to recreate Palestine as it was. That’s what being anti Zionist means in the modern world. Yet you don’t demand Pakistan be handed back to India.
I find your desire to use DNA testing to decide who’s a legitimate Jewish person highly disturbing.
‘It is not necessary to leave the ECHR’ should read it is necessary NOT to leave the ECHR. Article 8 which, I am guided to, states ‘right to a private and family life’ did not seem to extend to, from here or not, those who had their front walls taken down to provide masonry to throw at the Police in last summers’ riots. THAT is what leaving the ECHR looks like and if they needed more ammunition, they’d take out the windows and maybe the furniture because those engaging in these activities are ‘our people’, a quote from a previously… Read more »
Tyrd i’r hyn sy’n weddill o’r Fro Gymraeg, Keir Bach, ac mi weli beth yw bod yn alltud yn dy wlad dy hun. A wnei di rywbeth am hyn? Mae’r gwladychu yn rhemp. Peth ofnadwy yw diwreiddio pobl drwy ddwyn eu cynefin oddi arnyn nhw.
“Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.”
Or Welsh
Only English. Welsh and Gaelic do not count.
Ond os mae pobol yn dod o Patagonia i weithio yn Cymru. A oes angen nhw dysgu Saesneg ?
According to Starmer, yes.
As he says nation (singular) does what he’s saying apply only to England?
Sadly not. Yet.
Don’t panic folks: he doesn’t actually believe any of this and it won’t happen. He’s just got his Rs handed to him by Reform so he’s doing what he always does – he’s lying.
Britain has been an island of strangers since the Germanics arrived.
And yet you support apartheid Isreal
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114702
I support a two state solution. You don’t seem to want any solution.
Is there some confusion with the Republic of Ireland, perhaps…
Keir Starmer has warned that the UK risks becoming “an island of strangers” as he laid out some of the toughest rules in recent history to crack down on immigration. Sir Keir also said that the number of people entering the country is causing “incalculable damage”. I’m not inclined to press the matter of certain similarities between what Starmer’s recently said and the speech made back in 1968 by the late Enoch Powell. While there are undeniably certain parallels in the language employed, I don’t seriously believe that Starmer thinks like Powell used to think – perhaps because Starmer has explicitly… Read more »