Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for stricter immigration controls, proposing a significant overhaul of the UK’s immigration and citizenship system.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Badenoch advocated extending the waiting period for migrants to qualify for British citizenship from five to ten years.
“For the Conservative Party, immigration is straightforward: we must crack down on it both legal and illegal,” she wrote.
“It’s a matter of fairness. Right now, our system seems to reward those who break the rules, while hard-working Brits pay the price.”
Badenoch criticised what she sees as an unfair system where low-paid migrants and refugees can access full benefits after five years of residency.
“They become eligible for social housing and Universal Credit even if they’ve never contributed a penny in taxes,” she said. “That’s not fair to the British taxpayer, and I intend to change it.”
She blamed the Labour Government for blocking efforts to reform the system, specifically pointing to its opposition to the Deportation Bill.
The proposed legislation would have capped the number of immigrants entering the UK, increased the minimum residency period for benefits and citizenship to 10 years, barred benefit claimants from obtaining indefinite leave to remain, and enabled the removal of settled status for anyone convicted of a crime.
“These measures were designed to protect our borders and restore fairness,” Badenoch said. “But Labour voted them down.”
Acknowledging legal hurdles that have blocked past efforts, Badenoch pointed to the UK courts and international law as obstacles, particularly the European Convention on Human Rights.
“Many of our policies have been stalled by judges interpreting foreign legal frameworks,” she noted, referencing the scrapped Rwanda deportation plan.
Despite setbacks, Badenoch reaffirmed her commitment to a tougher stance on immigration, aiming to ensure that those who come to the UK “contribute to society, rather than exploit it.”
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