Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been warned his ‘morally repugnant’ plans to scrap the main route to citizenship for migrants could push the NHS to the brink of collapse
Nigel Farage has been warned his “morally repugnant” plans to scrap the main route to citizenship for migrants could push the NHS to the brink of collapse.
The Reform UK chief said Monday he would axe indefinite leave to remain (ILR) if he won power – putting hundreds of thousands of people legally settled in the UK at risk.
He also said he would ban anyone who is not a UK citizen from claiming benefits, and force migrants applying for a British passport to renounce other citizenship.
Mr Farage said he was targeting around 800,000 who will become eligible for the indefinite leave to remain in the next few years and who arrived between 2020 and 2024.
During a press conference on Monday, he referred to a “Boris wave” during the ex-Tory PM’s Boris Johnson’s time in No10, with a surge in legal migration.
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There was a sharp rise in net migration after Brexit due a hike in the number of non-EU citizens coming to Britain under the Conservatives. The figure fell sharply last year after stricter migration rules came into force.
On Monday, Downing Street branded Reform’s plans “unrealistic, unworkable, unfunded” and accused Reform UK of “fostering division” rather than trying to fix problems.
Unions representing NHS and care workers warned that overseas staff were critical to keeping the NHS running. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea blasted the proposals as “cruel”.
She said: “The effect on the NHS and social care workforce would be no less than catastrophic, with thousands of essential, dedicated staff being shown the door. It’ll be impossible to maintain vital public services. Scapegoating migrants and spreading anxiety won’t solve any of the country’s deep-seated problems. It will simply make them worse. The UK is better than this.”
Rachel Harrison of the GMB union, added: “Apart from being morally repugnant, this half baked policy is also completely unworkable. Our public services – especially the NHS – and our care sector are utterly reliant on migrant workers. Without them our care and health sectors would collapse.”
NHS figures earlier this year showed a fifth of current NHS staff were recruited from overseas. Out of 1.5million employees, 311,000 had a nationality other than British.
Royal College of Nursing chief Nicola Ranger said: “Threatening to sack thousands of migrant nursing staff is abhorrent beyond words.“These are people who have come to the UK to care for patients and become part of our communities. They deserve so much better than this.
“The policy of retrospectively removing people’s rights in this way would be unprecedented, leaving migrant nursing staff unable to work or access welfare, despite having paid tax.
“It shows neither compassion nor an understanding of the fundamental role our brilliant migrant nursing staff play in health and care.“Without them, services would simply cease to function.”
The BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin also said the announcement will cause a “great deal of anxiety and distress” to the NHS workforce.
He said: “It is outrageous that these staff, who have been given the right to stay in the UK indefinitely, and who have been contributing to the NHS, the economy and their communities, now face the uncertainty of not knowing if this will be ripped away from them. Many more will also be working their way towards this – and now they are looking at that goalpost disappearing before their very eyes.”
He added: “With huge workforce shortages, the NHS relies on international staff at all levels. Even with a new five-year visa, these plans send completely the wrong message to those considering coming to the UK to offer their skills to our health services and patients.
“At a time when we ourselves are haemorrhaging doctors overseas, this policy would make Britain an even less attractive place to practise medicine.”
Reform insisted there would be an ‘acute skills shortage visa’ for “national-critical roles”, which could include social care. But there were no details on the proposal to cap numbers for such a scheme.
Meanwhile the plans also quickly started to unravel after the Centre for Policies think tank disowned its claim that the move could save taxpayers £234billion – casting doubt on Reform’s figures.
Mr Farage’s boast that only UK citizens would be eligible for welfare also raised eyebrows. It came as his colleague and policy chief Zia Yusuf admitted it wouldn’t apply to those on the post-Brexit EU settlement scheme.
Government sources said that out of the 1.3million claims for Universal Credit the vast majority – 770,000 – have EU settled status. A Labour source added: “That’s a massive carve out from his plan to stop all foreigners getting benefits.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also warned: “Thousands of Londoners have indefinite leave to remain. They have legal rights and are our friends, neighbours and colleagues, contributing hugely to our city. Threatening to deport people living and working here legally is unacceptable.”
Mr Farage has previously suggested that some families could be forced to pay health insurance to use the NHS if he was PM. But Reform UK insists it will keep the health service free at the point of use.
The announcement also comes as Keir Starmer’s government is currently consulting with an immigration white paper. Plans include stricter English language requirements, an end of overseas recruitment for social care workers and stricter rules for students.
The government has said it is looking at increasing the wait foreign nationals have to wait to claim Universal Credit from five years to 10. And it is also examining proposals to make it harder to claim permanent citizenship by doubling the standing qualifying period for settlement to ten years.
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