Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has written to the UK Home Secretary urging the Labour government to stand firm on its proposal to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five years to ten years. In a letter co-signed with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, Badenoch warned that any retreat on the policy would seriously undermine Britain's immigration controls.
Badenoch Opposes Exemption for Two Million Migrants
The intervention came after reports that some Labour MPs were pushing to exempt approximately two million migrants who entered the UK on work visas between 2021 and the present from the stricter requirements. Badenoch described the proposed exemption as "a grave mistake," citing the previous Conservative government's experience as a cautionary lesson.
In her letter, Badenoch argued that a five-year pathway to indefinite leave to remain proved too short and placed avoidable strain on public services. Once granted indefinite leave to remain, recipients become fully entitled to welfare benefits and can apply for British citizenship within a year, making it extremely difficult for the government to impose further restrictions later.
Work Visa Holders Should Not Automatically Stay Forever
Badenoch posted on her X account on Monday, July 13: "People who come to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be able to stay forever. This Labour government was right to make that harder. Now their MPs want them to u-turn. Conservatives will back Labour's original plan to help get it through Parliament."
She further contended that many migrants on temporary work visas occupy roles that could be filled by economically inactive British citizens, of whom she cited approximately nine million. According to Badenoch, those who do not make a meaningful economic contribution over a decade should be required to leave when their visas expire rather than be offered a route to permanent settlement, as reported by Punch.
Conservatives Offer Cross-Party Support
Badenoch rejected suggestions that changing the qualifying rules for people already in the country would constitute a retrospective measure. Her position was that temporary work visas carry no inherent promise of permanent residence, and the government retains the authority to revise settlement criteria at any point.
The letter included an offer of cross-party support: if Labour tables its original proposals from the previous autumn in unaltered form—whether through immigration rules or as part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill—the Conservatives would vote in favour. Badenoch framed the government's response as a test of its genuine commitment to reducing net migration.
"Whether or not you stand by your own proposals is a test of whether the Labour Party is serious about controlling our borders or not," the letter concluded. The letter was also copied to Andy Burnham, whom Badenoch identified as the expected incoming Prime Minister, as debate over UK immigration policy intensifies.
