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on June 24, 2025
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It may seem at times that the term “political earthquake” is too frequently used in the UK. However, it would be difficult to deny that events fitting this description occurred in the English local elections on 1st May.
The Nigel Farage-led Reform UK party achieved a breakthrough success – seemingly largely on the back of voter discontent over continued high levels of immigration to the UK under the present Labour Government.
Over the years, local elections in the UK have not necessarily been occasions when immigration has been a great flashpoint, given that local councils do not directly set or enforce immigration policy.
However, this did not prevent the right-wing populist party from punching through the ruling Labour Party and the opposition Conservatives’ long-time dominance of England’s local elections.
The elections were a resounding success for Reform UK, which managed to:
When the other parties’ results are considered, a clear pattern emerges of a bruising election for the traditional “big two”, but success for smaller parties:
For Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the outcome of the vote made for chastening reading. Labour won 98 council seats, but suffered a net loss of 187 councillors.
The current party of national government lost control of the only council it was defending – Doncaster – and it is no longer the largest party in Durham, with Reform UK having assumed control of both those local authorities.
The Tories had been anticipating big losses in these elections. After all, the councils up for re-election were last contested in 2021 – a time when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was benefiting from a “vaccine bounce”.
However, even with all that accounted for, the results were grim for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. The party lost 674 councillors, as well as control of all 16 councils it was defending.
Sir Ed Davey’s party were the “runners-up” in these elections, winning 370 council seats – a net gain of 163 – and taking control of three councils. The Lib Dems were also the largest party on four other councils.
Following a recent House of Commons vote, the party accused Labour, Conservative and Reform MPs of “voting against the national interest just so they could appear anti-immigration”.
Amid recent disillusionment among some voters on the political left about the Labour Party’s direction under Mr Starmer, the Green Party of England and Wales upped its number of council seats by a net 44 in these elections, with a total of 79 council races won. In terms of immigration policy, the party calls for “an end to the hostile environment” for overseas nationals in the UK, and “safe routes to sanctuary for those fleeing persecution”.
Established in 2018 as the Brexit Party – which advocated for a “no-deal Brexit”, otherwise known as the UK leaving the European Union (EU) without a withdrawal agreement in place – Reform UK took on its present name in January 2021.
The party puts forward what it calls “common-sense policies” on matters ranging from national sovereignty and energy to the cost of living. However, it has become particularly known for a stance on immigration that is perceived as more “hardline” than other mainstream parties.
In its policy document Our Contract with You, published last year, Reform UK called for:
Except for certain “essential” skills for the country – “mainly around healthcare” – the party has said that strict limits are required on immigration to the UK, to relieve pressure on housing and public services, as well as to help “increase wages and protect our culture, identity, and values.”
The party has stated that this plan would include the UK leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It has also argued in favour of “zero” illegal immigrants being resettled in the UK, a new “Department of Immigration” being established, and illegal immigrants being picked up out of boats and taken back to France.
Reform UK has urged that the swift processing of asylum seekers arriving illegally from safe countries should be carried out “offshore if necessary”, with those rejected being returned. The party has said that if it was in power, it would not permit those entering from a “safe country” to claim asylum or citizenship, and that non-UK citizens would also not receive legal aid.
Another pledge made by Reform UK is that it would deport overseas nationals from the UK after the end of their prison sentence. The party has also said that it would take away the citizenship of immigrants who commit crime, but that some misdemeanour offences would be an exception to this.
According to the party, such a hike – to 20% – would give businesses an incentive to recruit British citizens for their vacancies, given that the NI employer rate for the latter would stay at a lower level. The employer NI rate was 13.8% on employees’ earnings above £9,100 per year, but since 6th April, the Labour Government has changed this to 15% on salaries north of £5,000.
Despite widespread perceptions that the national Government’s handling of immigration matters drove much of Reform UK’s success at local level, the populist party has also referred to certain other priorities that it intends to pursue in the councils it now controls.
Former GB News presenter Darren Grimes, for instance – who was elected to Durham County Council in the May elections and now serves as the local authority’s deputy leader – has criticised councils that he claimed were spending “thousands on net-zero pet projects, building rainbow crossings, or hiring £70,000-a-year diversity managers.”
However, with regard to immigration policy:
Widely perceived as a response by the Labour Government to Reform UK’s local election triumph, on 12th May, the Home Office published a much-reported white paper, entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System.
The department has said that the proposals outlined in the white paper are aimed at creating an immigration system “which promotes growth but is controlled and managed.”
Highlights among the announced plans include:
The Government has outlined how it intends to fundamentally restructure the Skilled Worker visa category, to reverse changes made by Mr Johnson’s administration that saw eligibility broadened.
The white paper envisages the minimum skill level for sponsored roles under the Skilled Worker route being restored to RQF Level 6. This is equivalent to degree level, compared to the present RQF Level 3, which broadly corresponds to the possession of A-level qualifications.
Ministers have sought to complement the modified skills threshold for the Skilled Worker visa by also putting in place a new salary framework.
Since April 2024, the minimum required salary for Skilled Worker visa roles has been £38,700 per year. Under the new plans, this threshold will now apply universally, unless a higher “going rate” is stipulated for a particular occupation.
The Government has continued to vow to bring down net migration to the UK compared to its recent historical highs. However, ministers are also clearly anxious to ensure that in the short term, labour market gaps can still be filled.
In light of this, the Government has proposed that a new Temporary Shortage List (TSL) be created. The TSL will be aimed at putting in place a more time-limited, conditional, and structured mechanism for the sponsoring of foreign-national workers in occupations at RQF Levels 3 to 5.
Surely one of the most controversial reforms set out in the white paper, is the proposal to shut down the Health and Care Worker visa category to new overseas-national recruits in the adult social care sector.
Under this proposal, from as soon as this year, the Health and Care Worker visa route will no longer permit new applications for care workers and senior care workers from outside the UK.
If you expect to be affected by any of the latest changes to the UK immigration system, whether as an organisation in the UK wishing to recruit foreign talent, or an individual intending to move to or extend a stay in the UK, please don’t hesitate to contact us for tailored advice. You can reach our central London-based experts in UK immigration law by calling 0208 215 0053; alternatively, you can arrange a free consultation with us using our online contact form.
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