For years, the broadcast media have pushed the narrative that mass migration is a net benefit.
Skilled migrants, we have long been told, will assimilate, strengthen our economy and drive innovation.
What we’ve seen instead has been very different. Mass immigration has inflicted a massive strain on our public services, a surge in crime, a worsening housing crisis and led to fewer British people in work. Those who do pay their taxes are left carrying the burden of supporting those who don’t.
The Department for Work and Pensions yesterday released data showing 1.26million foreign nationals are claiming Universal Credit – costing the British taxpayer more than £12billion per year by some calculations. Of those receiving taxpayer-funded handouts, some 740,000 are unemployed. These figures have doubled in the past three years alone.
This proves there’s something fundamentally wrong with our immigration system. Far too many of those we welcome into this country are not working, overstaying their visas and living off the backs of the British taxpayer.
It is time to send a clear message: the UK is not a soft-touch destination. Arrive in Britain, receive a warm welcome, free housing, free public transport in parts of the country – and you’ll face little-to-no risk of deportation.
When you factor in housing, benefits, healthcare and transportation, the total cost likely runs into the tens of billions.
It is no longer credible to argue that this population explosion has delivered financial benefits or strengthened our economy. On nearly every measure, Britain is weaker and poorer than it was before this influx. The UK has long been one of the world’s most welcoming nations – taking in genuine refugees and providing aid where it’s needed. We’ve opened our doors to nearly 200,000 Ukrainians since the war began, and more than 100,000 Hong Kong citizens fleeing China’s crackdown on civil liberties. While these efforts are part of what makes Britain great, they cannot come at the expense of our own citizens.
Far too many of those we welcome into this country are not working, overstaying their visas and living off the backs of the British taxpayer, writes Farage
A group of migrants are ferried to Dover, Kent, on an RNLI vessel after being picked up from a small boat in the Channel
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) now predicts that Britain’s population will reach 72.5 million by 2032 — an increase of nearly a million per year. This trend has resulted in a number of unfavourable statistics: the NHS backlog for consultant-led elective care is at 7.46 million and the UK now has one of the worst hospital bed shortages of all OECD and European countries.
While Labour has driven the immigration crisis to new heights, most of the blame lies with the Conservatives. Whatever promises they make now cannot be taken seriously.
For years, the Tories peddled the myth that all immigration is positive because migrants work and contribute to society. Quite simply, it was a lie and they knew it – yet they covered it up.
The Tories will never be forgiven for what they have done to our country. They have failed on border security, failed on welfare and failed to deliver for working people. They broke Britain and it will take Reform to fix it.
Under a Reform-led government, we will ban all foreign nationals from receiving benefits. If you want to live in this country, you must work, contribute to society and adhere to our culture. We cannot allow foreigners to benefit off the backs of hard-working Britons while the rest of the country suffers.
Reform will introduce an immediate freeze on all immigration: illegal migrants will be deported and legal migration will pause. When it resumes, we will ensure the UK welcomes only the best and brightest – the world’s top doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs – in small numbers.
As other countries do, we will thoroughly vet asylum seekers and other migrants and ensure that everyone coming here is willing to integrate, speak our language and respect our way of life. We will no longer allow waves of unchecked, unvetted migrants with no loyalty to Britain or its values to roam our streets freely.
The fundamental duties of any government are to protect its people, improve their lives – and put them first. Politicians work for the people, not the other way round. This principle has been lost. The UK can no longer be treated like a charity for the rest of the world: it is time we prioritised our people, our jobs and our culture.
My pledge to you is simple: freeze immigration, stop all benefits for foreign nationals, deport foreign criminals and put the needs of the British people front and centre. Only Reform can be trusted to do this.
Nigel Farage is Reform UK leader
