British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers remarks at a news conference on migration, in London, on May 12.Ian Vogler/Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has moved to fend off a growing challenge from the populist Reform UK by announcing a series of measures to sharply reduce immigration and prevent Britain from becoming “an island of strangers.”
On Monday Mr. Starmer unveiled a long list of proposals he vowed would significantly reduce the number of people settling in Britain, although he did not say by how much or set an annual target.
Among the measures he announced were tighter rules surrounding student visas, increased English language requirements for all visa applicants and doubling to 10 years the length of time applicants must live in the U.K. to qualify for citizenship. The government also plans to scrap a special visa many companies use to recruit social care workers, and it’s considering slapping a tax on the money universities earn from international student fees.
“We will take back control of our borders,” Mr. Starmer said during a news conference, echoing the rallying cry of Reform leader Nigel Farage and other Brexit supporters who have long argued that controlling immigration was supposed to be one of the benefits of leaving the European Union.
“Every area of the immigration system – work, family and study – will be tightened up so we have more control,” Mr. Starmer added.
Mr. Starmer said that without clear rules that “give shape to our values ... We risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”
Growing public concern about immigration, as well as pressure from populist campaigners, has prompted leaders in many countries to tighten rules. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to reduce immigration to sustainable levels and cap the number of temporary workers and international students.
The tough talk from Mr. Starmer was something of a reversal for him. He campaigned against Brexit during the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU. And, since winning last year’s general election, Mr. Starmer has been eager to improve trade ties with the EU and ease some visa restrictions for young people.
But the rising popularity of Reform and its anti-immigration message has clearly spooked the Prime Minister. Reform has leaped ahead of Mr. Starmer’s Labour Party and the opposition Conservatives in several recent public opinion polls. Earlier this month, Reform also scored massive victories in local elections across England at the expense of Labour and the Tories.
Mr. Farage has campaigned relentlessly on slashing immigration and he has blamed the country’s soaring level of net migration – the difference between the number of people who leave the U.K. and those who enter – for shortages of housing, doctors, schools and poor economic growth.
On Monday he mocked Mr. Starmer for following Reform’s lead. “We are controlling the narrative,” he said. “But do they have the will to drive any of this through? I very much doubt it.”
A government policy paper released shortly after Mr. Starmer spoke adopted many of Mr. Farage’s arguments and highlighted problems stemming from high levels of immigration.
Net migration to Britain has increased from 224,000 in 2019, the year before Britain left the EU, to a record high of 906,000 in 2023 and 728,000 last year, the document noted.
That amount of uncontrolled migration has done “incalculable” damage to the country, Mr. Starmer wrote in an introduction to the paper. “Public services and housing access have been placed under too much pressure. Our economy has been distorted by perverse incentives to import workers rather than invest in our own skills,” he wrote. “But arguably even worse is the wound this failure has opened when it comes to trust in politics.”
The paper said there had been a shift toward low-skilled workers and some visas had been abused. It also said students and other visa holders have been allowed to remain in the country for far too long.
“Despite the significant increases in long-term migration over recent years, economic growth and living standards have stagnated,” the paper said.
The government hopes to encourage employers to find domestic workers for jobs in sectors like social care, which have relied heavily on foreigners.
Several industry leaders said the visa changes will be crippling for businesses that have been struggling for years to find staff. According to some estimates there are 131,000 vacancies in the adult care sector alone and many seniors’ homes say they simply can’t find local people willing to take the jobs.
“The government is kicking us while we’re already down,” said Martin Green, chief executive of Care England which represents nursing homes and other organizations that provide social care. “For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs and mounting vacancies. International recruitment wasn’t a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline.”
Groups representing British universities also expressed concern about the proposed changes to student visas and the proposed levy on international student fees.
“International students are significant contributors to the U.K., fuelling research, innovation and global partnerships,” said Rosalind Gill, head of policy at the National Centre for Universities and Business. The changes “will diminish our competitiveness in the global education market, undermining the vital contributions that universities make to both the economy and national prosperity.”