With the UK general election now just days away, candidates are pulling out all the stops in last-ditch campaigning before the country heads to the polls.
One of the most significant topics in this year’s elections has been immigration, with many politicians seemingly taking a hard stance on people entering the UK.
Immigration is when people move to another country like the UK, and there are various legal and illegal ways to do this.
Both Labour and the Conservatives have promised to cut immigration numbers if they’re elected and curb illegal entry into the UK.
Immigration is usually a contentious topic during elections, and sometimes politicians play on voters’ fears and blame immigrants for the country’s wider problems.
The Conservatives even released an anti-immigration video that accused Labour of rolling out the red carpet to migrants.
Meanwhile, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said this year "should be the immigration election" as he laid out plans to "freeze" all non-essential immigration – as well as burn more fossil fuels and leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
Policies on immigration can impact everyone, from refugees entering the country and people from Europe, to the one in three NHS doctors and 30 per cent of nurses who aren’t UK nationals.
Those who are pro-immigration say that it can plug a skill shortage when there is an ageing population and boost government revenue. However, critics say immigration lowers wages, leads to pressure on essential services, and increases house prices as it puts pressure on housing stock.
So, where exactly do the parties stand on immigration?
Conservatives
The Conservatives have promised to cut immigration by introducing an annual cap on visas and curbing numbers each year.
MPs elected into parliament would be able to vote on migration levels, essentially setting the bar for the number of people allowed to enter the UK from anywhere in the world.
Addressing their immigration policies, Rishi Sunak said: “We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.”
The party also continues to push its controversial Rwanda plan, which will cost the UK taxpayer at least £300m, arguing that it would deter people from entering the country by small boats.
In the past 14 years of Conservative rule in the UK, net migration is more than double the rate it was in 2010, according to the Guardian.
Labour
Like the Tories, Labour are also trying to appeal to voters who think immigration is bad for the UK, vowing to take control of the country’s borders.
“Read my lips – I will bring immigration numbers down,” Keir Starmer told the Sun, in a similar tone to what his main opponent said.
“If you trust me with the keys to No 10, I will make you this promise: I will control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first.”
According to the Labour manifesto, the party wants a points-based system, with the aim of reducing immigration.
Part of Starmer’s plan would be to force businesses that apply for foreign worker visas to train Brits to do the job, suggesting employers “should always have a choice of recruiting a British worker first”.
According to the Migration Observatory, migrants in the UK were largely hired in hospitality, transport, storage and IT. People from the US, Oceania or India often took up high-skilled occupations.
Labour also wants to “stop the boats” and plans to “return people who have no right to be here”.
Lib Dems
According to the Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey: “Since we left the EU, immigration has more than doubled, completely against what the Conservatives and the Brexiteers promised.”
In its manifesto, the party accused the Tories of shutting down safe and legal ways for people to enter the UK, leaving people with little choice but to seek illegal routes.
The Lib Dems also plan to end the Conservatives’ hostile environment policy, scrap the Tories’ Illegal Migration Act as well as the Rwanda scheme, and offer ways for asylum seekers to support themselves while waiting for decisions.
However, the party’s leader has also maintained that his party plans to reduce immigration.
Other parties
The smaller parties have also made immigration a key focus but offered starkly differing perspectives.
Green, for example, want to “implement a fair and humane system of managed immigration”.
Speaking on BBC Question Time, Green’s co-leader Adrian Ramsay pointed out that the UK’s healthcare and social care system rely on overseas workers. “We need to recognise and value the skills that people bring,” he said.
Reform UK, on the other hand, are hoping to attract a number of disgruntled Tory voters, campaigning to freeze “non-essential” immigration and processing illegal migrants in other countries.
