Thursday 27 June 2024

During last night’s final debate in Nottingham ahead of the UK General Election, immigration emerged again as a key issue. Hosted by the BBC, this debate featured only two participants: Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Irregular migration

As in previous debates, irregular migration was a significant topic. Rishi Sunak reiterated the Conservative Party’s stance that the Rwanda Scheme is the most effective deterrent against illegal migration. In contrast, Keir Starmer emphasised enhancing border control and dismantling smuggling gangs as his top priorities. Starmer identified the backlog of asylum claims as the most critical issue, promising that Labour would address the crisis by processing the backlog and filtering out baseless claims.

Although both parties focus on tackling the small boats crisis, their approaches differ. The Conservatives advocate for deterrence through removals to Rwanda, while Labour prefers a systematic approach to breaking up smuggling networks.

EU relations and free movement

Sunak linked Labour’s openness to negotiating a better trade deal with the EU to the potential reintroduction of free movement and increased migration. Starmer, however, denied that any agreement with the EU would aim to reinstate free movement.

Decreasing net migration

The debate concluded with Sunak highlighting the Conservative Party’s commitment to reducing net migration through a migration cap. He cited a 30% reduction in visa issuance as evidence of future success. Starmer meanwhile pledged that Labour would also lower the net migration figures, underscoring Labour’s plan to reduce the British economy’s dependence on overseas workers and prioritise training the local workforce.

With only one week remaining until the election on Thursday 4 July 2024, this debate provided the final opportunity for both leaders to present their immigration policies directly to the public. It is now up to voters to decide the country’s direction for the next five years.

Get in touch

For more information on upcoming changes to UK immigration law, please visit our website, contact your assigned LDI lawyer or email us at enquiries@lauradevine.com.