UK immigration rift: Why Conservatives are defecting to right-wing parties

Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman quits the Conservatives for Reform UK, accusing the party of failing to control immigration

Suella Braverman, former UK home secretary in the previous Conservative Party-led government, on Monday defected to the anti-immigration Reform UK, saying she was “calling time” on the Tories for letting immigration get “out of control”.

 

The 45-year-old MP for Fareham and Waterlooville, who is of Goan heritage, said she had resigned her 30-year Conservative Party membership. She was formally welcomed into Reform UK by party leader Nigel Farage at a public event in London.

 

“I feel like I’ve come home. I’m calling time on Tory betrayal. I’m calling time on Tory lies. I’m calling time on a party that keeps making promises with zero intention of keeping them,” said Suella Braverman.

   

“Britain is indeed broken. She is suffering. She is not well. Immigration is out of control, our public services are on their knees, people don’t feel safe, our youngsters are leaving the country for better futures elsewhere,” she said.

 

“We can’t even defend ourselves, and our nation stands weak and humiliated on the world stage. So we stand at a crossroads. We can either continue down this route of managed decline to weakness and surrender or we can fix our country, reclaim our power, rediscover our strength,” she said.

 

Conservative defections over immigration

 

Braverman is the latest high-profile Conservative MP to align with Reform UK, taking the total number of Tory defections to eight. The list includes former ministers Robert Jenrick and Nadhim Zahawi.

 

Jenrick, who previously served as immigration minister, had repeatedly criticised the Conservatives’ handling of immigration and related policy areas. He framed his decision to leave as a response to what he described as repeated failure to deliver promised controls before joining Reform UK.

 

Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe also broke ranks over immigration, though in a different way. Lowe was suspended from the party in March 2025 after publicly arguing that its approach to deportations and migration was too soft. His campaign focused heavily on tougher action against illegal immigration, and he later formed a splinter group centred on stricter migration controls.

 

Net migration falls, but pressure remains

 

Official figures show that net migration fell by about 50 per cent in 2024, dropping from a record high of around 906,000 in 2023 to roughly 431,000 after visa rules were tightened.

 

Critics of successive governments argue that even after the decline, net migration remains too high for housing supply, public services and local infrastructure, a view frequently voiced by Reform UK figures.

 

Immigration curbs rolled out since 2025

 

Since 2025, the UK has introduced a series of changes to make the immigration system tighter, with a focus on reducing net inflows and strengthening enforcement.

 

Key measures include:

 

• In May 2025, the government published an immigration White Paper focused on cutting net migration from record levels, tightening visa eligibility and linking migration policy more closely to labour market priorities.

• The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 received royal assent in December 2025, widening enforcement powers such as right-to-work checks to curb illegal employment and improve employer compliance.

• The qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain was doubled from five to ten years, with stricter criteria for settlement.

 

Visa eligibility and skilled migration thresholds

 

• From July 2025, Skilled Worker visa rules were tightened, with applicants generally required to hold degree-level qualifications and meet a higher salary threshold of about £41,700. Many medium-skill roles were removed unless placed on a shortage list.

• English language requirements for skilled workers and other legal migration routes were raised to a higher standard, roughly equivalent to B2 level, applying to workers and dependants from January 8, 2026.

• Other sponsored routes and visitor categories were reviewed and tightened through further rule changes during 2025 and into 2026.

 

Asylum and returns policy

 

• The government announced visa curbs on countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo for failing to cooperate with the UK’s returns regime, alongside agreements with countries including Angola and Namibia to accept the return of migrants.

• Proposals under Labour’s asylum reforms from late 2025 include much longer waits for asylum decisions, stretching to up to 20 years in some cases, and expanded use of returns to countries judged safe, reflecting political pressure over cross-channel arrivals.