The UK Is Cracking Down on Immigration. How Will It Work?

Five years ago when he was campaigning to lead the UK Labour party, Keir Starmer championed migration, saying “We welcome migrants. We don’t scapegoat them.” As prime minister, Starmer has since reversed course in response to massive gains by Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform UK party in local elections. Now warning of the “incalculable damage” of mass immigration, he’s announced plans to curb arrivals and end what he called the UK’s experiment in open borders.

His challenge will be cutting the number of new arrivals far enough to undermine support for Reform while limiting disruption to the many British public services and industries that rely heavily on foreign labor.