Challenged by Reform UK, Labour moves to the right on immigration.

Britain’s governing Labour Party is offering the country a softer version of Reform's hard-line policies on immigration. Meanwhile, the Green Party stands out by describing migration not as a crisis but as an opportunity.

By The Immigrant Times

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says immigrants must earn the right to stay in Britain, while Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage wants to abolish the ‘Right to Stay’. Only the Green Party under its new leader, Zack Polanski, stress the contributions immigrants make.

October 2025: As Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party gains traction with its uncompromising stance on immigration, proposing to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), strip migrants of benefits, and require citizenship renunciation, the country’s governing Labour Party has responded with a notable repositioning of its own migration policies.

In a move that has surprised many of its traditional supporters, Labour now proposes a 10-year wait for ILR, stricter integration tests, and the removal of automatic settlement pathways. While Labour leaders have publicly condemned Reform’s rhetoric as “racist” and “immoral”, the party’s policy pivot suggests a strategic effort to reclaim voters swayed by Reform’s populist appeal.

In a striking departure from its previous immigration stance, the Labour Party has unveiled what many are calling the toughest permanent residency rules in decades. At the heart of the reforms is a proposal to double the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to ten years,  a move that signals Labour’s intent to tighten control over long-term migration while maintaining a veneer of fairness.

Home Secretary (Interior Minister) Shabana Mahmood, speaking at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool (28 September to 1 October), emphasised that migrants must now earn the right to stay by meeting a series of contribution-based criteria. These include making social security payments, refraining from claiming benefits, maintaining a clean criminal record, and volunteering in local communities. English language proficiency standards will also be raised to A-level (baccalaureate) fluency, a significant leap from the current GCSE-level (high school certificate) requirement

Mahmood framed the reforms as a response to public anxiety: “Across this country, people feel like things are spinning out of control,” she said. “When they hear of widespread illegal working, undercutting British workers, they feel the system is rigged”. Her remarks reflect Labour’s strategic shift, one that seeks to reassure voters without fully embracing the exclusionary rhetoric of Reform UK.

Yet the timing and tone of Labour’s proposals have sparked criticism. Some commentators accuse the party of becoming “Reform-lite,” echoing the hardline positions of Nigel Farage’s party while attempting to preserve its progressive image. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Reform’s plan to abolish ILR altogether as “racist” and “immoral,” arguing that it would “tear the country apart” by targeting law-abiding migrants who are already part of British society.

Reform UK

Reform UK’s ascent has reshaped Britain’s immigration debate with startling speed. Once dismissed as a fringe movement, the party now commands double-digit polling figures in key constituencies,  particularly among disaffected working-class voters who feel abandoned by both Labour and the Conservatives. At the heart of Reform’s appeal is a radical immigration platform that promises to “take back control” in ways that critics say would dismantle decades of legal precedent.

The party’s proposals are sweeping: abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), ban benefits for non-citizens, and require migrants to renounce other citizenships before naturalising. Reform also calls for the immediate deportation of undocumented migrants and the suspension of refugee family reunion rights — policies that echo far-right platforms across Europe but are now gaining traction in Britain’s mainstream discourse.

The Green Party

While Labour tightens its immigration rules and Reform UK pushes for radical exclusion, Britain’s Green Party stands apart with a platform rooted in openness, dignity, and global justice. Under the leadership of Zack Polanski, elected in September 2025 with a resounding 85 per cent of the vote, the Greens have doubled down on their pro-migrant stance, framing migration not as a crisis but as a contribution.

Polanski, speaking on BBC Breakfast shortly after his election, declared: “Migration is good for this country. Migrants are paying more into our tax system than they’re taking out in benefits or social security.”

This ethos runs through the party’s updated migration policy, which calls for:

• Restoring refugee family reunion rights and expanding safe routes for asylum seekers

• Scrapping the hostile environment and ending indefinite immigration detention

• Lowering barriers to settlement, including reducing ILR wait times and simplifying naturalisation

• Recognising climate displacement as a legitimate basis for asylum

The Green Party’s Migration and Asylum Policy Working Group emphasises that no one should be forced to flee their home, but if they do, Britain should offer protection, not punishment.

Further reading: Immigrants create wealth || Asylum seekers in Europe || Housing asylum seekers || Switzerland a role model in immigrant integration || Britain's political leaders deeply divided over immigration || Britain's harsh asylum reforms ||

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