"Currently, immigrants can seek "indefinite leave to remain" after five years in the country. Now, the Labour government's plan is to double that wait time to 10 years. It has also proposed making refugees wait 20 years for citizenship; seizing the assets of asylum seekers; and curbing family reunification. The Labour Party's strategy, pushed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, is to take the wind out of the Reform U.K. Party's sails by co-opting some of its more toxic policies around immigration."
"There is scant evidence that this anti-immigration strategy is actually working to Labour's political advantage. True, polls show that Reform U.K. seems to have peaked in mid-2025, and that in recent months its support has begun to ebb - as outsider parties normally do in the U.K. system. Yet, it still is polling significantly ahead of Labour. And, come the general election, it will almost certainly receive a massive propaganda assist from the Trump administration in the U.S."
Labour is proposing strict immigration measures including doubling the wait for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years, imposing a 20-year wait for refugees to gain citizenship, seizing asylum seekers' assets, and limiting family reunification. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is advancing the strategy to undercut Reform U.K. by adopting its hardline immigration positions. Critics warn the measures could deter essential workers in health care and other sectors who can obtain residency more easily elsewhere. Polls show Reform U.K. recently declined from a mid-2025 peak but remains significantly ahead of Labour, and U.S. political support may amplify Reform U.K.'s messaging before the general election.
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