Labour demands clarity on Tory plan to strip thousands of right to stay in UK | Immigration and asylum

Labor has called on the Conservative Party to clarify its plans to strip thousands of people of the right to stay in the UK permanently, saying those affected have the right to know what is on offer.

Labor MP Anna Turley has written to Katie Lam, the shadow Home Office minister. Lam’s interview about the plans last weekend sparked renewed interest in the policy of retroactively revoking the indefinite leave to remain (ILR) status of large numbers of people.

In her interview, Lam said deporting so many legally settled people was necessary to make the UK “culturally coherent”, a sentiment that led some Conservative MPs to complain to their party whips.

Policy, as stated draft of a bill The one, led by shadow home secretary Chris Philp, says people will lose their ILR status if they commit a crime, earn less than £38,700 for six months or more, or if they or any of their dependents claim any type of benefit.

Despite repeated questions from journalists, the Conservatives have not clarified even basic aspects of the policy, including what benefits they would count in losing ILR and whether families would be split.

In his letter to Lam, Turley said his interview highlighted a policy that includes “deporting people who play by the rules, are in this country legally, work in our schools, hospitals and businesses, and live as our neighbors.”

Retroactively removing their right to remain would “tear families and communities apart, as well as undermine the rule of law and tarnish our country’s reputation for justice,” he said.

“Beyond questions of morality, your proposals raise deeply troubling practical and legal questions that require urgent clarification,” Turley continued.

The letter lists 25 questions, ranging from an estimate of how many people are expected to be deported under the policy to more detailed questions about the reasons for removal from ILR.

On the income threshold, it asks whether this includes pensioners with incomes below £38,700, women whose income falls below this level due to maternity leave, or those who cut their hours to care for children or other relatives.

The letter states that the bill defines anyone who has received any form of “social protection” and loses ILR status, and asks whether this includes people claiming child benefit, pension, statutory sick pay, industrial injury payments or one-off support following floods or evacuations.

It also asks whether people could also face deportation if their spouses or children apply for benefits, even if they are UK citizens. Telling Lam that many people with ILR have children who are British citizens, Turley asked whether such people would be deported, and if they were, “would you be happy for the care of these children to fall under the responsibility of the state?”

The letter continued: “What do you estimate will be the costs of transferring children of foreign national parents to the care of the state with ILR? Do you believe that deporting one or both parents would be in the best interest of the child?”

Turley concluded: “The people you are talking about deporting are part of our country: our friends, neighbors and colleagues; people whose lives are intertwined with ours. The fact that the Conservative party is here today shows how far your party has fallen.”

The Conservatives and Lam have been contacted for comment.