Kemi Badenoch makes her move on immigration

Kemi Badenoch has finally announced a policy. Ahead of the Labour government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill being debated in Parliament next week, the Tory leader has unveiled her party’s latest offering on immigration. The Conservatives say immigrants should only be allowed to apply for British citizenship after 15 years of being in the UK as opposed to the current six. Furthermore, immigrants who have criminal records or who have claimed benefits or social housing should not be granted leave to remain, which sets them on a path to citizenship. Announcing the policy, Badenoch said:

‘The Conservative party is under new leadership. We’re going to tell the hard truths about immigration. The pace of immigration has been too quick and the numbers coming too high for meaningful integration. We need to slow down the track for citizenship. A UK passport should be a privilege not an automatic right.’

The official line is that the Tories want the government to adopt the changes, backdated to 2021, by amending their Immigration Bill next week.