Without most of the country ever having used or heard the word, Reform UK are preparing to reverse the “Boriswave”. On Monday morning (22 September), Nigel Farage announced plans to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), replacing it with visas that require migrants to reapply every five years. This would affect hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the UK. Reform presents the policy as a response to mass migration – specifically the surge of migration that occurred under the governments of Boris Johnson – and its perceived impacts on welfare spending and social integration. These are issues that mainstream parties have gradually acknowledged. But while the policy claims to address the wrongs of migration, it risks undermining human dignity, social cohesion, and the long-term stability of British society. Though Reform is selling its policy as a response to mere numbers, something more elemental is at stake. Some of the detriments of migration that Reform identify are legitimate. While the aesthetics of an integrated society are subjective – and it’s no coincidence that the term “Boriswave” originated in the swamps of the Online Right – pressures on housing, public services, and economic integration cannot be ignored. Recent months have seen public frustration with poorly managed migration spill onto the streets, from hotel protests to the Operation Raise the Colours…
Published: September 23, 2025 2:43 pm
Source: New Statesman — Read original