UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says shadow minister Katie Lam spoke imprecisely on settled status, clarifying no retrospective deportations under new rules.
As reported by The Independent, Kemi Badenoch dismissed a shadow minister’s claims that many migrants could lose their UK status retrospectively.
The Conservative leader claimed Katie Lam spoke imprecisely, suggesting some holders of indefinite leave in Britain could lose their residency.
A private member’s Bill outlined by shadow home secretary Chris Philp earlier this year contained Tory plans to revoke ILR in certain cases.
What did Kemi Badenoch say about Katie Lam’s ILR comments?
When questioned if the plan would affect those already with settled status, Kemi Badenoch said it would not be retrospective.
The Tory leader was asked if Katie Lam, amid talk of her leadership ambitions, implied that some ILR holders might lose their status.
She stated,
“No, we’re not being retrospective. When we put that amendment through, it was for a live Bill, so it wouldn’t have been retrospective. It was applied to a specific cohort.”
Ms Badenoch added,
“So she (Ms Lam) just stated it imprecisely.”
Labour wrote to the Tory leader seeking clarity on whether claiming benefits, such as maternity pay, could result in losing ILR.
Ms Badenoch said this was not the case,
“Maternity leave is not a benefit. It’s an entitlement. It’s pay. What we have said is that people who come to our country should be contributors. They shouldn’t need to go on benefits.”
She set out proposals in February to prevent those claiming benefits or with a criminal record from gaining permanent settled status.
Ms Badenoch said leaving the European Convention on Human Rights allows Tories to deny benefits to non-EU nationals, enabling policy changes.
She added,
“What we are trying to do is make sure that all our policies are coherent and work with changes and adaptations like leaving the ECHR.”
Under Tory plans, migrants would need to spend 10 years in the UK to be eligible for settled status.
Following Ms Lam’s comments, the Tory party denied scrapping its proposed rules on leave to remain.
A spokesman for Ms Badenoch said the party’s comprehensive legal migration policy has not yet been announced, amid questions on retrospective ILR changes.
He added,
“It is now our formal announced policy to restrict benefits to anyone who is not a British citizen. That is policy. We announced that at conference. The remainder of our legal migration plan will be announced in the coming weeks.”
What did Lam say about legally settled migrants?
Last week, Tory MP for Weald of Kent and shadow Home Office minister said,
“There are also a large number of people in this country who came here legally, but in effect shouldn’t have been able to do so.”
She stated,
“It’s not the fault of the individuals who came here, they just shouldn’t have been able to do so. They will also need to go home,”
adding,
“What that will leave is a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people.”
Ms Lam’s comments sparked internal Tory discontent, though she denied plotting a challenge.
What did Anna Turley say on Tory chaos?
Tory Party chairwoman Anna Turley stated,
“This is a humiliation for the Tories – for Katie Lam and Chris Philp, who have been completely undermined, and for Kemi Badenoch, who didn’t even appear to understand her own policy.”
She said,“It’s still unclear what the Conservatives’ actual position is, but what is clear is that senior Tories continue to believe we should be deporting people who have played by the rules and settled here – our friends and neighbours and colleagues – based on so-called ‘cultural coherence.’”
Ms Turley added,
“If Katie Lam and Chris Philp can remain in post after this monumental failure of leadership and judgment, then you have to ask – how can anyone take the Conservative Party seriously?”
What is the European Convention on Human Rights?
The ECHR is a treaty that protects human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe, establishing the continent’s first international human rights court. It was drafted between 1949 and 1950, opened for signature on 4 November 1950, and entered into force on 3 September 1953.
The treaty applies to all 46 member states of the Council of Europe, making it a cornerstone of human rights law across the continent. This includes the right to life, liberty, fair trial, privacy, family, and protection from torture.
