Starmer Eyes Migration Clampdown Amid Reform’s Rising Tide

[Social Media]

 

---

Starmer Eyes Migration Clampdown Amid Reform’s Rising Tide

 

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week, where Reform UK is expected to make significant gains by capturing hundreds of council seats. A white paper detailing the Government’s plans to reduce legal migration is set to be published in the weeks following the May 1 vote. Among its measures, it is expected to tighten rules around foreign students staying in the UK by restricting those on graduate visas from taking low-paid jobs such as in healthcare.

 

Reform UK, the right-wing party led by Nigel Farage, is poised to secure council seats and leads in two mayoral races. The party is also contesting the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, with a real chance of taking the seat from Labour. Sir Keir has notably not campaigned in the by-election, a move that Mr Farage described as “astonishing.” Mr Farage, who has made three visits to the constituency and plans to return on polling day, sees the Prime Minister’s absence as a sign of Labour’s low expectations.

 

 

While some insiders from the Home Office insist that the migration plans have been underway since November, others see the move as a response to the expected bruising local election results for Labour. Discontent within Labour’s ranks is already surfacing. Lord Glasman, a peer close to Downing Street and a leader of the "Blue Labour" movement pushing for a more right-leaning Labour, warned that the party would “get its head kicked in” by Reform at the local elections. Speaking to The Observer, Lord Glasman said, “It’s game over if they don’t change. People are losing faith in government, in the most general way, and someone has to stop that. Labour must be a pro-worker, patriotic party, not talking gibberish about diversity.”

 

A senior trade union figure also told The Telegraph that a “sizeable” portion of union members are planning to vote for Reform, especially in traditional working-class areas. National polling puts Reform at 25 percent, nearly double the 14 percent it secured in the July general election, with Labour trailing at 23 percent and the Conservatives at 21 percent. Mr Farage, taking a hardline stance on immigration, has vowed to become the “deporter-in-chief” of illegal migrants if given the chance.

 

Morgan McSweeney, Labour’s chief of staff, has long maintained that fulfilling Labour’s promise to cut net migration is vital to blunting Reform’s appeal. Annual net migration reached a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023, before dropping slightly to 728,000 the following year. The forthcoming white paper is expected to set new targets to drive that number down even further. A Home Office source confirmed, “We’ve made a really strong commitment that the Home Secretary wants to reduce net migration. We will use the immigration white paper as a tool for that.”

 

The white paper, anticipated before May 19 when a UK-EU summit is scheduled, will also propose banning employers who break minimum wage laws from hiring workers abroad. Companies will be encouraged to invest in training local staff for jobs that often rely on foreign workers. Graduate visas are another focus; Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has identified a trend where foreign graduates switch to health and social care visas, allowing them to stay longer. Officials are considering setting a wage threshold to close this loophole.

 

However, the proposed crackdown may face backlash from the already struggling social care sector, which relies heavily on foreign workers. Although there is growing optimism about a potential UK-EU deal that could ease movement for young people, the white paper will not address it, as negotiations are still underway.

 

Tougher migration policies are likely to spark debate about their impact on economic growth, which Sir Keir has emphasized as his top priority. In its first six months, Labour increased the deportations of failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals and has begun releasing images of deportation flights to demonstrate its tough stance.

 

 

Commenting on the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Mr Farage told The Telegraph, “I find it astonishing that the PM hasn’t turned up at the first by-election of the parliament. To us, it is an indication that Labour intelligence says they’re not going to win.” A Labour Party spokesperson declined to comment.

 

  Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-04-29

 

 

 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

"Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week"

 

TOO LATE.......

[JonnyF]

5 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

"Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week"

 

TOO LATE.......

 

preparing pretending

[mikeymike100]

6 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

"Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week"

 

TOO LATE.......

Quite so they have already invaded!

[Purdey]

If only Farage would stop flying to the U.S. and try visiting his constituents at Clacton-on-Sea more often he might be more electable. As it is, he could lose is seat at the next election.

[rough diamond]

1 hour ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

"Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week"

 

TOO LATE.......

I thought that Political parties/Pm's etc announced major policy decisions, which they think will be welcomed, BEFORE and election and not AFTER it!

[loong]

9 hours ago, Social Media said:

A white paper detailing the Government’s plans to reduce legal migration is set to be published in the weeks following the May 1 vote.

 

From that statement can we assume that there is nothing going to be done to stem illegal immigration?

I believe that most people are more concerned about the Illegals than the legitimate migrants.

[Watawattana]

Horse.  Door.  Bolted.

[rickudon]

The problem with illegal migration is that there is no easy way to claim asylum outside of the UK, You have to get on a boat first,

 

Then the answer is that you have to find someway to stop people from starting to come in the first place. We should talk to countries which cause the illegal migration, it is far cheaper to offer aid to stop them coming than deal with it when they arrive' In the case of countries in conflict, pay surrounding countries to help the refugees, and offer some opportunity to file asylum claims locally.

[Nick Carter icp]

1 hour ago, rickudon said:

The problem with illegal migration is that there is no easy way to claim asylum outside of the UK, You have to get on a boat first,

 

Then the answer is that you have to find someway to stop people from starting to come in the first place. We should talk to countries which cause the illegal migration, it is far cheaper to offer aid to stop them coming than deal with it when they arrive' In the case of countries in conflict, pay surrounding countries to help the refugees, and offer some opportunity to file asylum claims locally.

 

   Would be a lot easier just to sink the boats when they enter UKs waters 

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

"Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week"

 

TOO LATE.......

 

It needs not just a stop, but a reversal.

[Nick Carter icp]

12 hours ago, Social Media said:

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a major crackdown on immigration after the local elections this week, where Reform UK is expected to make significant gains by capturing hundreds of council seats.

 

   There has been some talk about the Conservatives and Reform uniting for the next election , as they would win together or lose to Labour separately 

[RayC]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Would be a lot easier just to sink the boats when they enter UKs waters 

 

Humanity rules the waves.