Labour is facing significant criticism from the left after introducing new rules that prevent illegal immigrants from gaining British citizenship, even if they have refugee status or leave to remain. The Home Office quietly implemented these changes, which state that applicants who “previously entered the UK illegally” will “normally be refused” citizenship, regardless of their current legal status.
The updated guidance on the “good character requirement,” which came into effect on Monday, also stipulates that applicants will be denied citizenship if they make what the government deems a “dangerous journey,” including arriving by dinghy or hidden in a lorry. This shift comes shortly after new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called on Labour to “slow down the track for citizenship” and to emphasize that obtaining a UK passport should be a “privilege, not an automatic right”, reported by the Daily Mail.
