The Conservative Party is pledging to tighten immigration rules after Reform topped a landmark poll for the first time earlier this week.
In her first major policy announcement as Tory Party leader, Kemi Badenoch is pledging to double the amount of time an asylum seeker needs to have been in the UK before claiming indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years.
In order to claim indefinite leave to remain after 10 years, the individual must also meet new, tightened conditions.
These include not having claimed benefits or used social housing during the entire qualification period, not having a criminal record and being able to demonstrate that their household would be a “net contributor”.
Ms Badenoch accused Labour of being “not serious about tackling immigration” and said there needs to be a “new approach”.
“Our country is not a dormitory, it’s our home,” she said.
“The right to citizenship and permanent residency should only go to those who have demonstrated a real commitment to the UK. That’s why we should double the length of time before people can qualify for indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years.
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“The Conservative Party is under new leadership. We’re going to tell the hard truths about immigration.
“The pace of immigration has been too quick and the numbers coming too high for meaningful integration. We need to slow down the track for citizenship. A UK passport should be a privilege not an automatic right.
“Far from reducing the number of people coming into Britain, the Labour government are presiding over an incoming disaster.
“The Border Security Bill will actually make it easier for illegal immigrants to stay in the UK, let alone legal migrants. No one can trust Labour on immigration.”
The announcement comes just days after Reform topped a Sky News/YouGov poll for the first time as the party continues to shake up British politics.
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The poll, taken on 2 February and 3 February, showed Nigel Farage’s party has edged in front on 25%, with Labour pushed into second on 24% and the Tories on 21%.
It also put the Lib Dems on 14% and Greens on 9%.
All the polling moves that push Reform UK to the top for the first time this week are within the margin of error and the overall picture remains unchanged – with Britain in a new period of three party politics in the polls.
According to the poll, one in five Tory voters at the last election would now vote for Reform.
The Sky News/YouGov poll also found Kemi Badenoch has slipped behind Nigel Farage when voters are asked whether they have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of the leaders.
Last month, Badenoch had a net favourability rating of -25, but that has now dropped to -29 this month.
This puts her below Farage, who had a net favourability rating of -32 last month, which has now risen to -27 this month.
Labour’s border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “While [the Conservatives] scramble around for relevance, this Labour government is getting on with clearing up the mess they left behind – raising deportations, returns and removals to the highest rate in six years, increasing the number of illegal working raids and cutting the costs of the asylum system.”
