Starmer unveils ‘tighter’ immigration policy promising numbers will fall significantly – live updates

I listened to the whole press conference. It sounds like permits to bring in foreign workers will be tied to investments in skills programmes. This seems entirely sensible and could be very effective if implemented correctly.

It works because it re-emphasises the fact that importing workers should be the temporary fix to a skills shortage, not the permanent state of affairs. It also adds a premium to foreign workers compared to domestic, which levels the playing field and helps prevent undercutting.

>Migrants will also need to reside in the UK for 10 years before they can apply for permanent residency – it’s currently five years

Gotta say, as an immigration single issue voter who was planning to vote Reform, I didn’t think they would go this far. This is a huge change because that’s far longer than most other developed countries, which means we instantly become a lot less attractive to emigrate to for millions of people trying to find a new country to live in. That should have a significant impact. Bravo.

the reform polls really kicked their asses into gear huh

good changes though this is how it always should have been

It all sounds quite good?

This [graph on the BBC is quite telling](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/800/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2025/5/12/272cd1fd-7d18-4178-8911-ae88eeda8878.png.webp). It shows how EU migration has reduced form 300k a year in 2017 to negative numbers of late, whilst non-eu migration has surged from 90k to almost a million in the same time period.

Those are wild figures and it’s clear something drastic needs to happen. it also coincides with attitudes towards immigration turning more negative as it would clearly have a sizable impact on communities.

Too little too late. London has a foreign majority now and it’s not the only city like that. There’s also Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester.

Still won’t be enough for some.

If Starmer proved he had cut migration down by 90% people would say “fake numbers” or “lies” because they saw one brown guy down the shop. Farage proves he has cut it by 10% and it will be “man of the people”.

I genuinely hate the British public when it comes to politics.

Reluctant reform voter here. This was very very effective for me.

Pragmatic and competent plan. Reduce immigration and integration without the silliness that comes with having to vote for a vibes based party? I’m in. I can get behind that.

I appreciate the honesty in this thread from some Reform / intending to vote Reform voters.

Conservatives prattling about starmer being untrustworthy

Yeah because they really proved themselves in 14 YEARS, including overseeing the Boris wave

From what I heard at the press conference, and have read, there’s nothing that sounds like it should be that controversial. It’s obvious something needs to change, and not for any racist or xenophobic reasons, but for sustainability and I’d argue moral reasons. Sustainable because no, building the equivalent of Birmingham every year just isn’t feasible. Moral, because importing labour to do difficult jobs that often come with a high level of responsibility (e.g. care workers) and paying them a pittance is not moral.

I do understand that some sectors, especially social care, are especially dependent upon immigration, but what this should tell us is that we need a fundamental retooling of our economic systems. The labour to do these jobs does exist already, and the barriers for why these people are not doing these jobs need addressing.

I’m broadly pro-immigration, and I’ve been an immigrant myself in several countries, teaching in international schools. These have been very positive experiences. I think global mobility is a positive thing, but so is sustainability.

Regardless of my position on the matter. This is just a settled issue for the country at this point. Nothing else to do but do it. It’s pretty clearly the majority position that has been ignored for a long time.

Does anyone have a link to any study or studies or anything justifying this anti imigration thing? Or is it just pure unjustified xenophobia?

>Refugee charity Care4Calais, who provide humanitarian aid in northern France and the UK, accuse the prime minister of “fanning the fire of the far-right” by using language like “an island of strangers” to discuss immigration.

>Care4Calais CEO, Steve Smith, said: “This is dangerous language for any Prime Minister to use. Has Starmer forgotten last year’s far-right riots?

>”Shameful language like this will only inflame the fire of the far-right and risks further race riots that endanger survivors of horrors such as war, torture and modern slavery. Starmer must apologise

Hilariously out of touch. No way this CEO isn’t making a fortune on other people’s misery.

And the people who currently reside in the uk who don’t meet these terms?