UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has launched a sharp rebuke of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour-led government, demanding urgent action on immigration through the adoption of the Conservatives’ proposed Deportation Bill.
In a video message posted to her official X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Badenoch noted that the changes being proposed is far off the desired change on immigration.
“I think Labours are taking us for a fool. Quite frankly, they are taking us for fools. This is nowhere near the scale of the change we need to see,” she said in the strongly worded address.
Badenoch criticised Labour’s immigration policies as inadequate and contradictory, arguing that the government is opposing reforms it now claims to support.
“Many of the things he was announcing are part of the things they are voting against right now. I’m talking about putting serious things into legislation, like a cap on the number of people coming into the country,” she stated.
She stressed the need for “systemic change” and cited measures such as disapplying the Human Rights Act and extending the path to citizenship.
“Take indefinite leave to remain, we wanted it to be 15 years: it’s too quick the rate at which people get British citizenship. He’s watered that down to 10 years and again kicked it into the long grass,” she said.
Badenoch also pointed to pressure on public infrastructure as evidence of a system in crisis.
“The fact of the matter is that public services are being strained. There’s not enough housings, people can’t get GP appointments,” she added.
Reinforcing her stance in a written post on X, Badenoch wrote: “Labour have blocked every serious step to stop illegal and legal migration. Today’s vague promises come with no plan and no timetable. Our Deportation Bill is tougher and ready to deliver. They should stop taking the public for fools and back it.”
