Reform has unveiled its most radical immigration policy yet - to abolish the system of Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Under the proposal, migrants will no longer qualify for permanent settlement after five years, but would be obliged to reapply for visas every five years under more stringent rules, including higher salary thresholds and stricter English language tests.
Jacob praised Reform's new plan
|GB NEWS
Nigel Farage also says it would bar anyone who isn’t a British citizen from accessing welfare, with the policy applied retrospectively to hundreds of thousands of migrants already here, and increase the time it takes to become a citizen from six to seven years, claiming the measures could save the country £234 billion.
Labour is already trying to discredit the plan.
But of course, despite Labour’s tough rhetoric, Government figures show more than 213,000 people with Indefinite Leave to Remain are claiming Universal Credit, and the Migration Observatory estimates around 430,000 non-EU citizens currently hold that status.
This is the right policy, and one that is long overdue.
Foreigners who come here should not be entitled to benefits, the welfare state exists to support British people who’ve paid in - we do not have a contributory welfare state.
If you come to Britain, you should also pay for health insurance, as is the case in most other countries.
Becoming a British citizen should be difficult, not automatic. It is a privilege, not a right; a privilege reserved for those who contribute and commit to this country.
In order for this policy to work, Reform needs to commit to the political will necessary to tackle the inevitable legal challenges from the courts.
Nigel Farage’s attempts to implement tougher immigration laws would inevitably face legal challenges. But one of the most powerful tools a government has, if it has the political will, is the ability to change the law.
It has long been my view that politicians should use the legislative authority they have to bypass these challenges and so defeat the leftie lawyers.
It seems Reform is willing to do this - here is its policy chief Zia Yusuf’s response when asked by journalists what the ‘legal basis’ for retrospective visa changes is:
Mr Yusuf is right. Parliament is sovereign, and it is right that politicians should be bold enough to use it.
This policy from Reform is the right one, and it is right to be willing to exercise Parliamentary sovereignty to achieve it. For too long elected politicians have been willingly countermanded by judges and bureaucrats, all the while the tools to avoid it have been at their fingertips.
For too long, Britain's generosity has been taken advantage of by people who come here with no desire to contribute, but political will is needed.