Deporting legally settled people is ‘broadly in line’ with Tory policy, says Badenoch’s office | Conservatives

Kemi Badenoch’s spokesman said Conservative MP Katie Lam was “generally in line” with party policy in calling for large numbers of legally settled people to be deported from the UK.

The Tory plans to retroactively remove the indefinite right to stay (ILR) for people claiming benefits said the spokesman said this would not apply to people on state pensions, but could not say whether someone on statutory maternity pay or shared parental leave could be deported.

Speaking after Prime Minister’s questions, the prime minister said the key to whether a person would be deported was whether that person was a “net contributor” in terms of taxes and benefits. party’s policy It says this will happen if a person on the ILR receives “all forms of social protection”, an official term that covers most social benefits.

Lam, the Home Office’s shadow minister and deputy, said in an interview with the Sunday Times that many people would need to lose ILR status to ensure the UK remains mostly “culturally consistent”, prompting criticism from other parties.

Asked about Lam’s comments, Badenoch’s spokesman said some were “taken out of context”. He added: “There are a lot of people who come to this country legally but shouldn’t be doing so. The opposition leader agrees.”

Highlighting the party’s plan to remove ILR from people on benefits, committing crimes or whose income falls below £38,700 for six months or more, he said: “I think that’s broadly in line with what Katie said, and that’s the policy of the Conservative party.”

Asked about the morality of changing the rules retrospectively at a time when people could spend years or decades building what they believe is a permanent life in the UK, he said: “The Conservative party is clear that immigration has been too high under successive governments. We need to bring that down. We need to stop the conveyor belt to British citizenship, and that means toughening up in some areas.”

He continued: “The important thing is to make a clear contribution. We want people in this country who share our values ​​and want to, who want to contribute, who do not want to just take out without putting in.”

Asked whether the net contribution idea meant deporting people who had paid taxes for years but then needed help for a short time, as set out in the “immigration and visa bill” published by the Conservatives, the spokesman said this remained to be seen.

“There will always be extreme cases and policy will need to be designed very carefully,” he said. “Policy will need to be written very carefully to avoid any kind of complete injustice.”

Asked whether people could be deported even if they had partners or children who were UK nationals, he said: “Let me get back to you on that.”

The Conservative Party has been contacted for further comment.