Immigration and asylum: Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem, Reform and Green positions
What have the different political parties announced on immigration and asylum in the run up to – and during – the 2025 autumn conference season?
Why are political parties setting our new positions and policies on immigration and asylum?
Polling by Ipsos in August 2025 identified immigration as the public’s top concern, with 48% of respondents identifying immigration as an issue facing the country, surpassing the economy (33%) and the NHS (22%). 50 Ipsos Mori, ‘Immigration tops Britons’ concerns as public divided on whether it is acceptable to protest outside asylum hotels’, Ipsos Mori, (29 August 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.ipsos.com/en-uk/immigration-tops-britons-concerns-public-divided-whether-it-acceptable-protest-outside-asylum
This issue has risen in salience because of the unprecedented scale of asylum claims and net migration into the UK in recent years, which has been compounded by growing public concern around the number of small boat crossings in the English Channel and the housing of asylum seekers in hotels. 51 Ipsos Mori, ‘Immigration tops Britons’ concerns as public divided on whether it is acceptable to protest outside asylum hotels’, Ipsos Mori, (29 August 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.ipsos.com/en-uk/immigration-tops-britons-concerns-public-divided-whether-it-acceptable-protest-outside-asylum Indeed, the UK received 111,084 asylum claims in the year ending June 2025 - the highest number since records began in 1979. 52 Home Office, ‘Accredited official statistics: How many people claim asylum in the UK?’, Gov.uk, (21 August 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-people-claim-asylum-in-the-uk Likewise, net migration stood at 431,000 in 2024, a sharp drop from the record 906,000 in 2023, but still well above levels seen during the 2010s. 53 The Migration Observatory, ‘Briefing: Net migration to the UK’, University of Oxford, (10 June 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/long-term-international-migration-flows-to-and-from-the-uk/
Public frustration has surfaced in polling, in parallel with the rise in popularity of Reform UK – for whom immigration has been a key policy area – and in protests such as those which took place at the Bell Hotel in Epping over the summer of 2025 , and the Unite the Kingdom Rally held in London in September 2025, 54 K Rawlinson, ‘Judge urged to shut down hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping’, The Guardian, (15 August 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/15/judge-urged-to-shut-down-hotel-housing-asylum-seekers-in-epping which drew over 150,000 people. 55 R Vinter, S Gecsoyler, H Pidd and A Ahmed, ‘Far right London rally sees record crowds and violent clashes with the police’, The Guardian, (14 September 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/13/unite-the-kingdom-far-right-rally-london-tommy-robinson-police-assaulted
The message from many voters is clear: political parties must grasp the nettle and act to solve the perceived immigration and asylum ‘crisis’.
The government has responded with an immigration white paper and a peppering of policy announcements across the year. These are some of the changes around legal migration as of 15 October:
- International students staying on after completing their studies will have 18 months, cut from two years, to find a graduate-level job. This change will come into effect for most graduates from 1 January 2027. 56 The government states that data shows many student visa holders do not transition into graduate-level employment as intended.
- Finance requirements for student visas will be increased from 2025.26 academic year onwards.
- From 8 January 2026, the immigration skills charge (ISC) paid by employers who sponsor workers on specific visas will be increased by 32%. Parliament will need to vote to support this change.
- Applicants for skilled-worker, scale-up and High Potential Individual visas will have to demonstrate English language proficiency at B2 level (A-level equivalent), up from B1 standard (GCSE equivalent).
- Migrants on the skilled worker visa will also have to earn whichever is higher of £41,700 per year or the “going rate” for their occupation.
This follows other announcements made following the 2025 industrial strategy, including:
- Expansion of the HPI route to graduates from the top 100 international universities, with a cap of 8,000 applications per year. The number of people currently entering the UK on this route is 2,000.
- Entrepreneurs currently studying in the UK will be able to transition from a student visa to the Innovator Founder route. 57 Gov.uk, ‘Innovator Founder visa’, Gov.uk, www.gov.uk/innovator-founder-visa
Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Reform UK have articulated a need for reform in this area, but their approaches diverge sharply. The result is a stark divide between the major parties, with a race to toughen immigration controls among parties that lead the election polls 58 Politico, ‘Poll of polls, United Kingdom – Parliament voting intention’, (6 October 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/ , and a greater defence of rights-based approaches from the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.
What are Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem, Green and Reform UK positions on immigration and asylum?
Reform UK and the Conservatives have set out the toughest policies on both immigration and asylum, mirroring each other on policies relating to the ECHR and deportations. These proposals would reshape the UK’s approach to settlement and asylum – tightening the pathway to settlement for migrants and potentially weakening (or removing) existing legal protections for asylum seekers.
The Labour government’s approach places more emphasis (nebulously defined) on selective, and ‘contribution’ based approach. The implication is that immigrants will have to ‘earn’ their place in the UK to progress onto Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status or citizenship – though it is unclear whether there would be exceptions for migrants on specific visas. This approach also represents a significant departure from much of the consensus around immigration policy in the last few decades.
Zack Polanski used his first speech as Green Party leader to reiterate the party’s commitment to advancing humanitarian objectives and celebrating the UK’s differences, before encouraging members to chant “Migrants and Refugees are welcome here”. He stated the party would “stop the boats through safe and legal routes” – though he provided little detail on how the party would achieve this in practice. 60 BBC News, ‘Video: Zach Polanski, “We will say it loud, migrants and refugees are welcome here”’, BBC News, (3 October 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c5yezqerrk0o
The Liberal Democrats, under Ed Davey’s leadership, have spoken out against Reform UK’s approach, arguing that coordination with international partners on joint operations and returns agreements would meaningfully reduce asylum claims.
What has each party announced about immigration?
Routes to settlement and citizenship
What are the current rules?
Under current UK immigration laws 67 This is as of October 2025. , most migrants, depending on their visa, can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after two to five years of continuous lawful residence in the UK.
ILR grants individuals the right to live, work and study in the UK without time restrictions or requirement for NHS surcharge. Eligibility criteria vary depending on the individuals’ circumstances but typically to qualify for ILR, applicants may be expected to meet all or some of the following criteria:
- demonstrate intermediate proficiency in English by passing an English language test
- have no serious criminal convictions
- have spent no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during their qualifying stay
- pass the Life in the UK test.
In most cases ILR lifts previous conditions around no recourse to public funds (NRPF), but in exceptional circumstances this clause may be maintained, meaning individuals cannot accessing certain welfare benefits and housing support. Once granted ILR, individuals can apply for British Citizenship after 12 months, subject to further eligibility checks.
The UK has an immigration skills charge in place, which is an additional charge on top of visa costs for the sponsors of those on a Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker visa. There are exceptions carved out for certain occupations (mainly in science and academia). The charge is at a flat rate, though the figure is different depending on the size of the sponsor organisation and the length of stay.
Party | Announcement |
| Labour | During her speech to Labour Party members, home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the party plans to increase the period of eligibility for ILR from five years to 10 years. To qualify, migrants will need to show continuous lawful residence in the UK and meet new conditions. These new conditions will be subject to consultation and include:
It is not clear whether these changes will affect skilled migrants who may qualify for ILR earlier based on earnings. |
| Conservatives | In February 2025, the Conservatives proposed that new migrants would have to wait 10 years before being eligible to apply for ILR. Once granted ILR, applicants would then have to wait an additional five years before applying for British Citizenship rather than 12 months. The party did not suggest any new requirements for eligibility for IRL. But it has stated that applicants must have no criminal record and that new powers would allow government to revoke an individual’s ILR if they had been deemed as a “burden to the UK”. 68 The Conservative Party, ‘Our Policy Prospectus’, Conservatives.com, (8 October 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.conservatives.com/our-policy-prospectus Under these planned changes, there would be exemptions for those who entered the UK on the Ukraine or Hong Kong resettlement schemes. |
| Reform UK | Leader Nigel Farage made headlines when he announced that a Reform UK government would abolish the ILR qualifying route for permanent settlement in the UK after five years. Instead, the party would create a new pathway that requires migrants to apply for a new visa every five years if they continue to meet qualifying requirements. This change would apply to newcomers and migrants already in the UK. Reform UK has also said it plans to bar anyone other than British citizens from accessing welfare. The party claims their plans would save £234bn over several decades, though the figure it cites has been withdrawn by its original authors and challenged by the OBR. 69 Full Fact, ‘Politics Live, Daily Mail corrects report about Reform UK’s disputed immigration savings’, Fullfact.org, (3 October 2025), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.fullfact.org/live/2025/oct/reform-uk-ilr-benefit-cost/ Indeed, many non-EU migrants are already subject to No Recourse to Public Funds, which bars them from accessing a large number of benefits. EU citizens with settled status in the UK are guaranteed access to some benefits in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement - more specificity is needed around what additional restrictions a Reform UK government would place on benefits eligibilities for this group. 70 UK Visas and Immigration, ‘Guidance: Public Funds’, (last updated 9 April 2025), GOV.UK, retrieved 13 October 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-funds--2/public-funds Reform UK has also outlined plans for an “immigration tax”, increasing the national insurance rate for migrant workers to 20%, incentivising businesses to employ British citizens for whom the rate would stay at 13.8%. It is unclear if this means that the rate will apply to employee or employer National Insurance contributions, or both. This tax is designed as an immigration control rather than revenue-raising policy, with the hope that it will disincentivise employers from hiring workers from overseas. |
| Liberal Democrats and Green Party | Neither the Liberal Democrat or the Green Party have announced new policies relating to routes to settlement or citizenship since the general election. Both parties’ leaders used their 2025 conference speeches to emphasise the importance of migration to society. |
| IfG analysis | While Labour and the Conservatives’ announcements would mean the UK retains the ILR framework, their proposals would mean longer settlement timelines and stricter eligibility criteria. Shabana Mahmood has stated that migrants would need to “earn the right to be in the UK”, framing settlement as a reward for contribution rather than a time-based entitlement. 71 S Mahmood, Speech at Labour Conference, September 2025, Labour.org.uk retrieved 13 October 2025, https://labour.org.uk/home-secretary-shabana-mahmood-at-labour-party-conference-2025/ Similarly, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has stated that her party’s proposals are designed to make citizenship “[…] a privilege that is earned through commitment and contribution to our country.” 72 K Badenoch, “Rebuilding trust with our new immigration policy”, Conservatives.com, 6 February 2025, retrieved 13 October 2025, https://www.conservatives.com/news/rebuilding-trust-with-our-new-immigration-policy Reform UK’s plan would go significantly further. Its proposal to abolish the ILR pathway altogether would represent a fundamental restructuring of the UK’s approach to permanent settlement. However, the party has yet to clarify how specific pathways would work for investors or entrepreneurs. Its £234bn savings figure has been disputed by the OBR and withdrawn by the think tank that formulated it. |
Border security and enforcement
What is the current position?
The UK Border Force is responsible for managing arrivals at ports and along the coast. The border enforcement system includes visa checks, biometric controls, and cooperation with international partners. Recent legislation – such as the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023 – has expanded powers to detain and remove individuals arriving via irregular routes.
The capacity of the Border Force is limited, and enforcement often relies on cooperation with other countries and the courts. Proposals to increase removals or detain more people face legal, logistical, and diplomatic challenges – particularly in the absence of functioning returns agreements with international partners. This means it is challenging for government to detain and remove individuals at scale.
What did the parties announce?
Party | Announcement |
| Labour | Ahead of the Labour Party Conference, Keir Starmer announced plans to introduce free digital ID cards to verify identity and residence status. The aim is to make working illegally in the UK harder, to reduce the attractiveness of the UK for illegal migrants. This policy would build on the new Border Security Command – a joint operation between MI5, Border Force and the National Crime Agency – to disrupt criminal smuggling networks and speed up removals, and the Franco-British “one in, one out” agreement signed in the summer. |
| Conservatives | Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch used her 2025 conference speech to announce the party’s Borders Plan. 74 Conservative Party, ‘Our Policy Prospectus’, Conservatives.com, (last updated 8 October 2025), retrieved 13 October 2025, www.conservatives.com/our-policy-prospectus For instance, following withdrawal from the ECHR, a Conservative government would rebrand the existing Home Office Immigration Enforcement unit as a “Removals Force”, modelled on America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The force would receive double the unit’s current budget – up to £1.6 billion - funded by closure of asylum hotels. It would also be granted expanded powers which have not yet been defined. The party stated that these changes would result in the deportation of 150,000 “illegal migrants” annually – up from 35,000 in the year to June. The aspiration is for most deportations of new illegal migrants to be within a week of arrival. To support these plans, a Conservative government would create new returns agreements with other countries with the threat of visa sanctions and withdrawal of overseas aid if they do not accept returnees. Additionally, shadow home secretary Chris Philp announced the party would deport all foreign national offenders after serving their sentences. |
| Reform UK | Nigel Farage has declared that a Reform UK government would introduce a new Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill to parliament. This would impose a legal duty on the home secretary to remove illegal migrants and ban those deported from re-entering the UK. To accelerate deportations, the bill would disapply international treaties including the 1951 Refugee Convention, require the UK to leave the European Convention of Human Rights, and replace the Human Rights Act with a new British Bill of Rights that would only apply to UK citizens and those with a legal right to reside in the UK.in the UK. |
| Liberal Democrats | Ahead of their party conference, Ed Davey indicated that the Liberal Democrats would leverage international cooperation to bring an end to irregular migration. During their conference, the party passed a motion that called for the Labour government to support cross-border cooperation through Europol, tackle criminal smuggling gangs and stop dangerous Channel crossing at source. In addition, the party made direct links between Brexit and the current crisis, noting Brexit resulted in the end of “twenty-seven return agreements, where in the EU, the United Kingdom could legally and fairly return people who had no right to be here”. |
| Green Party | The Green Party did not make any new announcements on border security and enforcement. |
| IfG analysis | The scale and ambition of proposed measures differs significantly across the parties. Reform UK’s Mass Deportation Bill represents the most far-reaching measure, followed by the Conservatives’ border plan. Both parties’ proposals require disapplying international treaties (notably the EHCR) which would reshape the UK’s international legal obligations. These changes would likely take some time to implement as they would face significant challenge in the courts. In particular, the retrospective effect of Reform UK’s measures for migrants already based in the UK would likely be highly contentious. Labour and the Liberal Democrats’ plans build on existing approaches focused on international cooperation through returns agreements and cross-border enforcement. |
What is each parties’ position on asylum policy?
Legal obligations and processes
What are the current rules?
As of October 2025, asylum seekers in the UK are protected under international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the ECHR, which is incorporated into domestic law via the Human Rights Act 1998. These frameworks guarantee the right to claim asylum and protect individuals from refoulement (return to a country where they face persecution), as well as upholding rights to family life (Article 8) and protection from inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 3).
Appeals against asylum decisions are currently heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), with further recourse to the Upper Tribunal and judicial review in higher courts. Large sections of the Good Friday Agreement rely upon the tenets of the ECHR and 1998 HRA, making unpicking these agreements or repealing them especially complex.
What is the parties’ position on legal routes and access?
Party | Announcement |
| Labour | In an interview with the BBC following the Labour conference, prime minister Keir Starmer outlined the party’s plans to review how UK courts interpret the ECHR in asylum cases - particularly Article 3 and 8 which protect against degrading treatment and the right to family life – as well as other legal provisions related to refugees and children. |
| Conservatives | Ahead of its 2025 autumn conference, the Conservative Party committed to withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights, following the review of the ECHR by shadow attorney general, Lord Wolfson. The party has also committed to withdrawing from the European Convention against Trafficking (ECAT) and repealing the Human Rights Act (HRA). In addition, it announced plans to end immigration tribunals, with all appeal decisions made in the Home Office, an end to legal aid for immigration cases, and to block judicial review except in the scrutiny of statutory powers. |
| Reform UK | Reform UK has signalled that it would introduce sweeping changes to the legal architecture undergirding asylum rights in the UK. These changes would include: disapplying the 1951 Refugee Convention, withdrawing from the ECHR, and replacing the Human Rights Act with a domestic Bill of Rights limited to UK citizens and legal residents. |
| Liberal Democrats | The Liberal Democrat conference saw the party reiterate its commitment to the EHRC, passing a motion that urged the government to “publicly and unequivocally reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the ECHR - and reject any attempt to undermine the legal protections it provides”. 76 Liberal Democrats, ‘2025 Conference motion, F41B, Building a Fair Asylum System’, Liberal Democrats, (no date), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.libdems.org.uk/conference/motions/autumn-2025/f41b |
| Green Party | In its 2024 manifesto, the Green Party stated it would enable asylum seekers to work while waiting for their claim to be processed. |
| IfG analysis | Reform UK and the Conservatives have moved the Overton window in the debate around the ECHR, pledging to withdraw from the treaty. Labour has responded by stating that the government will evaluate how the ECHR applies to cases. This signals a shift in approach on the key legal protections for asylum seekers arriving in the UK and could place the UK as an outlier in Europe. The implications of Reform UK’s (and, to a lesser extent, the Conservatives’) proposals are so wide-reaching as to make it close to impossible to claim asylum in the UK, no matter an individual’s circumstances. However, Reform UK’s leadership has indicated that some exceptions may be granted. |
Legal routes and access
What are the current rules?
Following changes introduced by successive Conservative governments narrowing the number of safe and legal routes, the primary avenues for claiming asylum are:
- bespoke resettlement schemes for specific groups such as from those fleeing conflict in Ukraine or political repression in Hong Kong; and
- family reunification for those granted refugee status.
The lack of alternative routes for those not eligible for these pathways means most asylum claims are made after arrival in the UK, often via irregular routes such as small boat Channel crossings.
What is the parties’ position on legal routes and access?
Party | Announcement |
| Labour | In August 2025, the then home secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the government would suspend applications for refugee family reunification. Under the proposed changes, refugees would have to apply for reunification under the standard family visa channels. |
| Conservatives | The Conservatives’ borders plan would prohibit those who enter the UK through irregular migration from ever claiming asylum and restrict refugee status to only those threatened by a foreign government. This would be enabled by withdrawal from the ECHR and the repeal of the HRA. |
| Reform UK | Reform UK has outlined plans for removal and deterrence through its Mass Deportation Bill. |
| Liberal Democrats | The Liberal Democrat conference voted to adopt a position that would call for the Labour government to immediately restore family reunification pathways for refugees. |
| Green Party | In his speech at the 2025 Green Party Conference, leader Zack Polanski reaffirmed that the party would stop boat crossings by creating safe and managed routes. |
| IfG analysis | The Labour Party, Conservatives’, and Reform UK all support restricting safe and legal routes, albeit to varying degrees. In contrast, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have made calls to strengthen the rights of those claiming asylum. The Liberal Democrats have taken an explicit position in favour of reinstating family reunification pathways for asylum seekers, based on a more rights-based and integration-focused approach. |
Asylum backlog and accommodation
What is the current position?
Since entering government, Labour has made the reduction of the asylum claim backlog a key priority. As a first step, the incoming government reversed the Rwanda plan pursued by the previous Conservative administration and reinstated standard asylum processing. More recently, the party oversaw the launch of a new recruitment campaign to recruit 300 Asylum decisionmakers in April 2025 to address workforce shortages.
There is some evidence that an increase in initial decisions has created a small drop in the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels, though the figures remain high.
Under current rules, asylum seekers receive accommodation and £7 per day to cover basic needs. They are permitted to volunteer but they are typically prohibited from working while their claims are being processed – expect in very limited circumstances, such as if they have been waiting for a decision for over 12 months due to a delay outside their control. If granted permission, they can only apply for jobs on the Shortage Occupation List.
What are the parties’ positions on the asylum backlog and accommodation?
Party | Announcement |
| Labour | The Labour Party has restated its commitment to clearing the asylum backlog – including introduction of a 24-week statutory time limit for asylum appeals by those receiving asylum accommodation and foreign national offender, the use of fast-track processes for ‘clear-cut’ cases, an independent asylum claim service, and more tribunal sitting days. It has also pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum housing. |
| Conservatives | The Conservatives have stated they would stop the use of asylum hotels and use the savings to fund a newly created Removals Force. |
| Reform UK | Reform UK has stated that it would situate removal centres in remote areas and use disused RAF bases in place of hotels. |
| Liberal Democrats | During their party conference, the Liberal Democrats passed a motion stating that the current government should “end the use of asylum hotels by speeding up application processing so thousands aren’t stuck in limbo and those with valid claims can work, integrate and contribute, while those without a right to remain can be returned swiftly”. 79 Liberal Democrats, ‘2025 Conference motion, F41B, Building a Fair Asylum System’, Liberal Democrats, (no date), retrieved 10 October 2025, www.libdems.org.uk/conference/motions/autumn-2025/f41b The Liberal Democrats would do this by declaring a Covid-style national emergency to address backlogs, setting up “Nightingale” processing centres and tripling the number of staff dealing with cases. 80 P Walker, ‘”Good humanitarian reason”: Ed Davey calls for emergency programme to clear asylum backlog’, The Guardian UK, (20 Sept 2025), retrieved 13 October 2025, www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/20/ed-davey-liberal-democrats-asylum-backlog-election-targets |
| Green Party | The Green Party has previously condemned the asylum backlog and stated it would support allowing asylum seekers to work while waiting for their claim to be processed. This move, the party argues, would help asylum seekers to move out of hotel accommodation, support themselves and integrate into the local community. |
| IfG analysis | There is consensus among all parties that hotel use is undesirable. All have committed to ending the use of hotels, but the Conservatives and Labour have provided little detail on alternative measures. In contrast, the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Reform UK have stated how they might house asylum seekers or otherwise address the backlog. Reform UK has focused on alternative accommodation sites and removal, while the Greens and Liberal Democrats have suggested giving asylum seekers the right to work to support themselves. |
- Topic
- Policy making
- Keywords
- Immigration Complex policy problems
- Political party
- Labour Conservative Reform Liberal Democrat Green Party
- Position
- Home secretary
- Department
- Home Office
- Publisher
- Institute for Government