THE GUARDIAN: Cross-party criticism after Reform UK leader threatens hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants with deportation
Nigel Farage has faced cross-party condemnation after threatening hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants with deportation by pledging to abolish the main route towards permanent settlement in the UK.
The Reform UK leader was roundly criticised over the principle and practicality of his proposals, with Labour figures accusing him of seeking to “break up families” and “foster division”.
At a tetchy press conference on Monday, Farage claimed the policy was aimed at stopping 800,000 people from becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) between 2026 and 2030.
Farage said this group – which he called the “Boriswave” because they arrived under post-Brexit changes made by Boris Johnson – tended to be young and low-skilled and were “going to be a huge burden on the state” by claiming benefits.
Speaking alongside his policy chief, Zia Yusuf, Farage pledged to abolish ILR and force people to reapply for visas every five years, with stringent salary and English language requirements and tougher rules around bringing dependants.
He left open the possibility that families in the UK could be broken up and that Ukrainians and Hongkongers who moved here using special resettlement routes could have their rights to remain revoked. » | Eleni Courea, Political correspondent | Monday, September 22, 2025
Nigel Fags: Trump’s clone and little helper. — © Mark Alexander
