A draconian plan to reduce legal immigration and prevent Great Britain from becoming "an island of foreigners". It was launched by the moderate Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, presenting a series of highly restrictive measures against the many who choose the United Kingdom to study or work, with the declared aim of "finally regaining control of the borders" .

“All aspects of the immigration system, including work, family reunification and student visas, will be strengthened so that we can better control them,” the prime minister said in a press conference that marked a shift by his government towards a tone and position typical of the right in a crucial dossier for the political future of Labour.

Sir Keir has been moving in this direction for some time: the race was accelerated by fears over the constant growth in the polls of Trump's Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, and by his victory in the recent local elections in England and in the by-election with which he won a new seat in the House of Commons. From now on, the executive, with the "severe restrictions" envisaged in the White Paper presented to Parliament, wants to start - explains Starmer - "choosing who comes here, so that immigration serves our national interest". With a warning to those within Labour who oppose rigid entry controls.

The restrictions affect all types of visas for the UK, whether workers, who will be required to have a degree at least, or students. For everyone, the levels of knowledge of the English language will increase compared to those currently required. Furthermore, among the measures there is the extension from five to ten years of the period necessary to obtain a permanent residence permit, with exceptions foreseen for highly sought-after personnel, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and managers in the field of artificial intelligence, who will be able to apply earlier. Unskilled jobs are particularly targeted by Labour: they will be severely limited for immigrants, with penalties foreseen for companies that do not choose British citizens. And even in the assistance and healthcare sector (therefore carers and caregivers), which is highly dependent on foreign labour, it will no longer be possible to hire personnel directly from abroad.

Hard times therefore for Italians who find themselves with a further fallout in the post Brexit: they will no longer be able to look for a job to learn English but will have to already know the language for a work or study permit . A new arrangement that has raised criticism from many quarters, including that of the Vice President of the Council and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, in London for the ministerial meeting of the 6 big Europeans of the Weimar Group. "Students are not a migratory risk, there are other risks, and I believe that this way opportunities are lost," said Tajani, hoping however that young Italians "will be able to continue to come to study English in Great Britain too."

Starmer's words have sparked a national outcry. The migrant advocacy organization Care4Calais has accused the prime minister of "fueling the fires of the far right" with his choice of language (starting with the phrase about the island of foreigners), demanding an apology from Sir Keir. "Has he perhaps forgotten about last year's clashes?" said the head of the NGO, Steve Smith, referring to the anti-migrant and Islamophobic riots unleashed by the far right in some English cities in August 2024. While some MPs from the majority, such as Nadia Whittome, have called the prime minister's "anti-migrant rhetoric" "shameful and dangerous". Criticism has also come from the right, with the Tories calling the initiative "far from the scale of the change we need" . And Farage, aware of the evident difficulties of an executive trying to limit his success, has accused Starmer of making promises he cannot keep.

(Online Union)

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