UK should not become permanent home for short-term migrant workers, Badenoch warns Labour

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the UK Conservative Party, has called on the Labour government to maintain its proposed 10-year qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain, emphasizing that temporary work visas should not automatically guarantee permanent settlement in Britain.

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Badenoch made this appeal in a post on her X handle on Monday, accompanied by a letter addressed to the UK's Home Secretary, in which she criticized Labour lawmakers' efforts to water down the government's planned immigration reforms.

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She stated that individuals who enter Britain on temporary work visas should not be granted the ability to stay indefinitely, and praised the Labour government for initially making this more difficult, saying "People who come to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be able to stay forever."

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Badenoch and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, in their jointly signed letter, warned against reports that the government was considering exempting around two million migrants who entered the UK on work visas between 2021 and the present from the proposed changes, describing this as "a grave mistake".

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Badenoch argued that Britain had previously experienced the consequences of allowing migrants to obtain permanent settlement too quickly, citing the Conservatives' past experience, where "five years is too short a time to obtain the indefinite right to remain in the UK".

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She suggested that many migrants currently employed in low-paid and low-skilled jobs could be replaced by economically inactive British citizens if more employment opportunities were created, and that migrants who fail to make a significant economic contribution over a decade should return to their home countries once their temporary work visas expire.

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Badenoch stated that "Individuals who are not making a significant economic contribution over a ten-year period should not be allowed to stay indefinitely", and that those not working, or working in low-paid jobs, should be required to leave the country at the end of their temporary work visa.

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She also maintained that granting indefinite leave to remain after just five years increases pressure on Britain's welfare system, as recipients become eligible for social benefits and can later apply for British citizenship.

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Badenoch argued that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not amount to changing the rules retrospectively, emphasizing that temporary work visas do not confer an automatic right to permanent residence, and that "The government is perfectly entitled to decide at any time the rules on indefinite rights of settlement, including in relation to those here already".

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Offering cross-party support, Badenoch said the Conservative Party would back Labour's original immigration proposals if they were introduced without dilution, stating "If you table the proposals set out last autumn in undiluted form, either in the Immigration Rules or as part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill, we will support them".

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She added that Labour's handling of the reforms would demonstrate whether the party was genuinely committed to controlling immigration and strengthening the UK's borders, with the Conservatives' support conditional on the government's ability to uphold its original proposals.