Responding to proposals from Reform UK to scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain, including retrospectively for those settled here legally, British future Director Sunder Katwala said:
“Threatening to revoke the settled status of millions who already have indefinite leave is morally wrong, beyond the legal and practical chaos it would cause — it undermines the very idea of belonging in this country.
“Debating future settlement rules for new arrivals is a legitimate public policy debate. Most of the public agree it is fair that people living here can apply to settle permanently after five years. The uncertainty this proposal creates for people who have already built their lives here — Hong Kongers, EU citizens who came before Brexit and others — is unfair and must be resolved with urgency.
“The government needs to speed up its own consultations on citizenship reforms to reduce that anxiety. It should immediately make clear that it rejects in principle and practice Reform’s proposals to remove and unsettle the status and rights of people who hold settled status now.”
Public attitudes research by Focaldata for British Future finds that 59% of the public, (and 64% of 2024 Labour voters) agree that migrants living in the UK and paying taxes should be eligible to apply for citizenship after five years or less.
