UK's Keir Starmer vows to end "failed experiment" with open borders

[jerryskids 6,597]

Hey there Keir, welcome to Racistville, population you and the rational people of the US and UK$#@!

Quote

With immigration limits, the U.K. vows to end a 'failed experiment in open borders'

May 12, 20253:05 PM ET

By 

Lauren Frayer

Fatima Al-Kassab

LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced tighter British immigration rules, declaring an end to what he called a "squalid chapter" and a "failed experiment in open borders."

In a speech Monday, Starmer vowed to "take back control" with new rules that make it harder to obtain work, family and student visas to the United Kingdom. Migrant rights advocates criticized his wording as being more typical of the far right than of his center-left Labour Party.

"The damage [immigration] has done to our country is incalculable," the prime minister wrote in a policy paper.

Starmer said the changes, which still need Parliament's approval, are needed to maintain social cohesion, drive investment in the local workforce and prevent Britain from becoming "an island of strangers."

His proposals come less than two weeks after the far-right anti-immigration Reform U.K. Party, led by Nigel Farage — a confidant of President Trump — made big gains in some local and municipal elections across England.

Data shows net migration to the U.K. has more than tripled in the past decade. Indians are the largest recipients of U.K. visas. And in recent months, Americans have been applying for British citizenship in record numbers.

Experts say the changes aim to reverse an unexpected spike in immigration after Britain left the European Union.

"After Brexit, a new immigration system came in under the previous [Conservative] government that was surprisingly liberal, and there was a big and unexpected increase in migration to the U.K.," says Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. "When they saw how big the numbers were, they started to roll back some of those liberalizations and made some restrictions."

"The current government is keeping those existing restrictions and rolling back the liberalizations, taking us back to a system that's broadly similar to what we had for non-EU citizens before the U.K. left the EU," she says.

Restrictions on most types of visas

Several of Starmer's predecessors focused on cracking down on illegal migration, including with a controversial plan to deport people in the country without legal status to Rwanda, no matter where they're originally from. (That plan was struck down by courts and ultimately scrapped when Starmer defeated then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in last summer's election.

While some immigrants who enter illegally go undetected or uncounted, government figures show the vast majority of immigrants to the U.K. arrive legally. The changes announced Monday govern them, making it harder to obtain most types of U.K. work and residence visas.

Immigrants and their dependents will have to pass higher-level English proficiency tests for some types of work visas. And most immigrants will have to spend at least 10 years in the country before applying for citizenship, rather than the current five years.

Employers, in turn, won't be allowed to recruit as many overseas workers — particularly for low-skilled jobs.

In recent years, the U.K. has also started requiring travelers who don't need a tourist visa to buy a visa waiver online before being allowed to board a British-bound flight.

Sumption estimates the changes will translate into a roughly 10% decline in visas issued. Immigrants will also spend more time, and money, on temporary visas, she predicts.

"Having temporary status is obviously not very good for migrants themselves. Because the U.K. immigration system is actually very expensive for people on temporary visas," she says. "On the other hand, the benefit for the government is that they bring in a lot more revenue, and that money gets redistributed across the health service, across the skills system — though that's not the justification the government is using."

Polls show most Britons want their government to do more to fight illegal types of migration, especially smugglers carrying people to England in small boats across the channel from France.

But the rules Starmer announced Monday govern only legal types of migration. One recent poll found most Britons do not want to see numbers of migrant worker visas reduced, especially for certain sectors, including workers in nursing homes.

Critics say Starmer's language could incite violence against migrants

In a statement emailed to NPR, Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, a charity that works with migrants and refugees, called Starmer's language "dangerous."

"Shameful language like this will only inflame the fire of the far-right and risks further race riots that endanger survivors of horrors such as war, torture and modern slavery," Smith wrote. "Starmer must apologize."

One of Starmer's own Labour members of Parliament, Nadia Whittome, wrote on social media that the prime minister's language "mimics the scaremongering of the far-right."

Another left-wing lawmaker, Zarah Sultana, questioned whether Starmer's speech had actually been written by far-right lawmaker Farage.

And another former Starmer colleague, parliamentarian John McDonnell, compared the prime minister's "island of strangers" reference to the "divisive language of Enoch Powell." Powell was a Conservative member of Parliament who made an infamous 1968 speech that's widely considered one of the most racist and incendiary in modern British history.

(Both Sultana and McDonnell were suspended from the Labour Party last year after voting against one of Starmer's welfare policies, though they remain in Parliament.)

Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, questioned Starmer's commitment to cutting migration numbers and said his proposals don't go far enough.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65953/uk-immigration-visa-restrictions

English language requirements?  Island of strangers?  Increased time for citizenship?  Reduced hiring?  Might as well get your Klan robe, Keir.  You've clearly forgotten that flooding your country with people from cultures which are antithetical to democracy is a good thing.  

[Frozenbeernuts 2,157]

Who could have possibly seen that it would fail?

The only reason some lefty like Starmer is saying this is because Trumps tactics are working. They are working so well, that the global left is getting worried. They need to appear rational in certain areas so that they don't lose too many voters.

It's funny how liberals never notice how overwhelmingly left leaning most countries are, yet they don't seem to be getting any better of a place to live. Weird.

[EternalShinyAndChrome 3,880]

6 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

Hey there Keir, welcome to Racistville, population you and the rational people of the US and UK$#@!

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65953/uk-immigration-visa-restrictions

English language requirements?  Island of strangers?  Increased time for citizenship?  Reduced hiring?  Might as well get your Klan robe, Keir.  You've clearly forgotten that flooding your country with people from cultures which are antithetical to democracy is a good thing.  

Well, like I've been saying, Tim and the rest of the left are on the wrong side of history ONCE again.  Failed and disastrous ideas are the hallmark of the left. 

[Voltaire 5,207]

There's a shock. In 2025, I can't believe there exists somewhere in a Western Civilization an insider corporate globalist left wing party that appears less retarded than the insider corporate globalist right wing party.

[EternalShinyAndChrome 3,880]

7 minutes ago, Voltaire said:

There's a shock. In 2025, I can't believe there exists somewhere in a Western Civilization an insider corporate globalist left wing party that appears less retarded than the insider corporate globalist right wing party.

maybe UK can fix it's problem now if it stops that failed policy.  It's really been on the decline by moving further and further left.

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

15 minutes ago, EternalShinyAndChrome said:

Well, like I've been saying, Tim and the rest of the left are on the wrong side of history ONCE again.  Failed and disastrous ideas are the hallmark of the left. 

Well first off when it comes to immigration I’ve always been on the “wrong side of history” and proud of it. Incidentally the USA has mostly been on the same “wrong side of history” and this is the main reason we live in the greatest nation that’s ever existed.

As for the Prime Minister of the second greatest nation ever, shame on him. He’s wrong. His comments are not racist but they’re terrible all the same. 
 

99% of the people on this Earth want nothing more than to feed their families and be treated decently. There are NO major religions, or ethnicities, that are inferior or incompatible with human freedom and decency. There are NO large groups of people that we can’t accept and make a part of ourselves and vice-versa. And there is absolutely NOTHING wrong or dangerous about open immigration and globalism. Someday the majority may come to accept these truths, who knows? Until then, if I am in the minority so be it. We fight the good fight.  

[EternalShinyAndChrome 3,880]

Just now, The Real timschochet said:

Well first off when it comes to immigration I’ve always been on the “wrong side of history” and proud of it. Incidentally the USA has mostly been on the same “wrong side of history” and this is the main reason we live in the greatest nation that’s ever existed.

As for the Prime Minister of the second greatest nation ever, shame on him. He’s wrong. His comments are not racist but they’re terrible all the same. 
 

99% of the people on this Earth want nothing more than to feed their families and be treated decently. There are NO major religions, or ethnicities, that are inferior or incompatible with human freedom and decency. There are NO large groups of people that we can’t accept and make a part of ourselves and vice-versa. And there is absolutely NOTHING wrong or dangerous about open immigration and globalism. Someday the majority may come to accept these truths, who knows? Until then, if I am in the minority so be it. We fight the good fight.  

How many virtue points did you get for that post?  I mean, it's all about LOOKING good w/out having to put any actual skin in the game, of course.

You're on the wrong side of history today just like you all were when we took your slaves away.  It's the same .  I wouldn't be proud of that.

[Hardcore troubadour 15,004]

I don’t believe him. Farages party grows stronger by the day due to immigration. Besides, he was leftarded enough to think it was a good idea in the first place.  Also he was one of the leaders of the Muslim groomer / rape cover up. May he rot in hell 

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

6 minutes ago, EternalShinyAndChrome said:

How many virtue points did you get for that post?  I mean, it's all about LOOKING good w/out having to put any actual skin in the game, of course.

You're on the wrong side of history today just like you all were when we took your slaves away.  It's the same .  I wouldn't be proud of that.

You’re wrong about the skin in the game part. Not gonna spend my time bragging here about stuff I’ve done; all I’ll say is you’re wrong. 
You’re also very much misguided about slavery but that’s nothing new. I will repeat again what anyone who actually studies history already knows: at the time of the Civil War, the Democrats were conservatives and the Republicans were liberals. Some Republicans, like Thaddeus Stevens, were extreme liberals; they were known as “Radical Republicans.” 

[EternalShinyAndChrome 3,880]

9 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said:

You’re wrong about the skin in the game part. Not gonna spend my time bragging here about stuff I’ve done; all I’ll say is you’re wrong. 
You’re also very much misguided about slavery but that’s nothing new. I will repeat again what anyone who actually studies history already knows: at the time of the Civil War, the Democrats were conservatives and the Republicans were liberals. Some Republicans, like Thaddeus Stevens, were extreme liberals; they were known as “Radical Republicans.” 

Yeah, we get it.  Whenever you're on the wrong side of history you claim the parties were switched.  Every...single...time.

It's almost as if you don't want to take any responsibility for being on the wrong side of history, ahem, every...single...time.

[jerryskids 6,597]

19 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said:

Well first off when it comes to immigration I’ve always been on the “wrong side of history” and proud of it. Incidentally the USA has mostly been on the same “wrong side of history” and this is the main reason we live in the greatest nation that’s ever existed.

As for the Prime Minister of the second greatest nation ever, shame on him. He’s wrong. His comments are not racist but they’re terrible all the same. 
 

99% of the people on this Earth want nothing more than to feed their families and be treated decently. There are NO major religions, or ethnicities, that are inferior or incompatible with human freedom and decency. There are NO large groups of people that we can’t accept and make a part of ourselves and vice-versa. And there is absolutely NOTHING wrong or dangerous about open immigration and globalism. Someday the majority may come to accept these truths, who knows? Until then, if I am in the minority so be it. We fight the good fight.  

Your last paragraph may have the highest density of wrong I've ever seen in a post.  Impressive.   

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

4 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

Your last paragraph may have the highest density of wrong I've ever seen in a post.  Impressive.   

I like you Jerry, you have good intentions. But I really do think your views on certain groups of people (Muslims in particular, but also some Latin Americans) are way too collectivized, simplistic, and based largely on tropes that have their roots in ignorance, fear and bigotry. 

[jbycho 630]

39 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said:

I like you Jerry, you have good intentions. But I really do think your views on certain groups of people (Muslims in particular, but also some Latin Americans) are way too collectivized, simplistic, and based largely on tropes that have their roots in ignorance, fear and bigotry. 

Love em all you want, but Trump is getting rid of that trash from our country. 

[Strike 5,276]

Y'all act like the damage is reversible.  It's not.  The West is toast.

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

1 hour ago, Strike said:

Y'all act like the damage is reversible.  It's not.  The West is toast.

The west is awesome. And aren’t you part Asian? What a moron you are. 

[CaptainObvious1 333]

2 hours ago, The Real timschochet said:

 

99% of the people on this Earth want nothing more than to feed their families and be treated decently. 

Yet you pay them enough to maybe split 2 tacos from Taco Bell amongst their 7 children.

[Voltaire 5,207]

2 hours ago, Strike said:

Y'all act like the damage is reversible.  It's not.  The West is toast.

The unnecessary gamble the corporate globalists play is that the Muslims secularize rather than spread Islam throughout Europe. No matter, the Muslims rape gangs aren't moving into their gated neighborhoods.

[Strike 5,276]

31 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said:

The west is awesome. And aren’t you part Asian? What a moron you are. 

Remember this post the next time you complain about a personal attack, hypocrite.

[Strike 5,276]

4 minutes ago, Voltaire said:

The unnecessary gamble the corporate globalists play is that the Muslims secularize rather than spread Islam throughout Europe. No matter, the Muslims rape games aren't moving into their gated neighborhoods.

You forgot the word yet.

[Voltaire 5,207]

15 minutes ago, Strike said:

You forgot the word yet.

The rape gangs are for the unwashed masses to deal with. They have a private jet to Brussels to catch to attend a symposium to combat global warming, then another for dinner in Zurich.

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

20 minutes ago, Strike said:

Remember this post the next time you complain about a personal attack, hypocrite.

Your ugliness becomes contagious after a while, unfortunately. 
 

Seriously your xenophobia is simply awful. I really feel sad for so many of you here that are so afraid of other cultures. How miserable you guys must be to have these views. 

[seafoam1 2,821]

3 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said:

Your ugliness becomes contagious after a while, unfortunately. 
 

Seriously your xenophobia is simply awful. I really feel sad for so many of you here that are so afraid of other cultures. How miserable you guys must be to have these views. 

Aww....You are sad. 

Like that means anything to anyone other than you. 

[Strike 5,276]

9 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said:

Your ugliness becomes contagious after a while, unfortunately. 
 

Seriously your xenophobia is simply awful. I really feel sad for so many of you here that are so afraid of other cultures. How miserable you guys must be to have these views. 

Ooh yeah.  Now you pull out the xeno/racism card.  A clear discussion killer.  That's how you libs work.   Racism and personal attacks.  It's all you know

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

46 minutes ago, Strike said:

Ooh yeah.  Now you pull out the xeno/racism card.  A clear discussion killer.  That's how you libs work.   Racism and personal attacks.  It's all you know

I didn’t accuse you of racism. I accused you of xenophobia, which you’ve certainly shown yourself to be guilty of. And nativism. It’s really ugly but unfortunately it’s a contagious thing like Covid. Obviously the PM of UK has a case, and Trump, and you have a really bad case. 
 

As for discussion, your side has proven yourselves incapable of it on this topic the moment you started blaming liberals for every violent crime committed by an undocumented immigrant, and acting as if ALL undocumented immigrants are guilty for the acts of a tiny few. At this point there’s no talking to you about this subject; you guys have become completely irrational, in the exact same way as you’re irrational about transsexuals. The only thing for it is to beat your politicians at the next election, and hope that in the meantime your guys don’t fock things up too badly (it’s probably already too late.) 

[iam90sbaby 2,503]

1 hour ago, The Real timschochet said:

I didn’t accuse you of racism. I accused you of xenophobia, which you’ve certainly shown yourself to be guilty of. And nativism. It’s really ugly but unfortunately it’s a contagious thing like Covid. Obviously the PM of UK has a case, and Trump, and you have a really bad case. 
 

As for discussion, your side has proven yourselves incapable of it on this topic the moment you started blaming liberals for every violent crime committed by an undocumented immigrant, and acting as if ALL undocumented immigrants are guilty for the acts of a tiny few. At this point there’s no talking to you about this subject; you guys have become completely irrational, in the exact same way as you’re irrational about transsexuals. The only thing for it is to beat your politicians at the next election, and hope that in the meantime your guys don’t fock things up too badly (it’s probably already too late.) 

Can you give me one example of a country thats multicultural that didn’t collapse on itself? 

[Hardcore troubadour 15,004]

I wonder what Tim’s favorite part of Islamic culture is? 

[Ron_Artest 1,126]

6 hours ago, Voltaire said:

The rape gangs are for the unwashed masses to deal with. They have a private jet to Brussels to catch to attend a symposium to combat global warming, then another for dinner in Zurich.

They're also in Saudi Arabia to be worshipped by the same people and receive lavish gifts.

[jbycho 630]

5 hours ago, The Real timschochet said:

I didn’t accuse you of racism. I accused you of xenophobia, which you’ve certainly shown yourself to be guilty of. And nativism. It’s really ugly but unfortunately it’s a contagious thing like Covid. Obviously the PM of UK has a case, and Trump, and you have a really bad case. 
 

As for discussion, your side has proven yourselves incapable of it on this topic the moment you started blaming liberals for every violent crime committed by an undocumented immigrant, and acting as if ALL undocumented immigrants are guilty for the acts of a tiny few. At this point there’s no talking to you about this subject; you guys have become completely irrational, in the exact same way as you’re irrational about transsexuals. The only thing for it is to beat your politicians at the next election, and hope that in the meantime your guys don’t fock things up too badly (it’s probably already too late.) 

[Tree of Knowledge 1,733]

9 hours ago, Strike said:

Y'all act like the damage is reversible.  It's not.  The West is toast.

Yep.  Too late.  

[supermike80 1,825]

Some immigration is fine.  Sure.  But the problem is the "open borders" leads to an onslaught of immigrants and refugees that tax any system.  No one can handle it at those volumes.

[Hardcore troubadour 15,004]

Would you rather your town bring in 1k Japanese or 1k Haitians? Culture counts. 

[EternalShinyAndChrome 3,880]

5 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

Some immigration is fine.  Sure.  But the problem is the "open borders" leads to an onslaught of immigrants and refugees that tax any system.  No one can handle it at those volumes.

Not only that, they bring their sh#tty political ideologies with them that destroyed their own country.  So when they finally ruin the US, where are they going to flee too?

[Strike 5,276]

1 hour ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I wonder what Tim’s favorite part of Islamic culture is? 

I've always assumed he was partial to the beheadings of Americans.

 

[Frozenbeernuts 2,157]

I reaffirm that liberal brains are going to melt when the truth hits them.

[Maximum Overkill 1,763]

Liberals love crime and violence. This is the crap they vote for.

Liberals are sick, perverted fuks. 

[TheNewGirl 1,387]

12 hours ago, The Real timschochet said:

The west is awesome. And aren’t you part Asian? What a moron you are. 

Do you HONESTLY think that California can continue on the current path and be successful? 

Gov Newsom is catering more to the center and right leaning folks himself in some aspects.

He recently stated that he wants to get rid of homeless camps, but wants to throw more money at homelessness. 

People who live here will be taxed to death, with already the highest tax rates in the country. Our AVERAGE gas price right now is almost $5/gallon, and he wants peopel to return to work in July. Our unemployment rate is 5.3% which is among the highest in the nation as well. 

He's bankrupt Medical to try and provide "free" health care to immigrants. Have you been to an emergency room lately? My ER is the SECOND busiest in the entire state; you cannot leave there in under 12 hours, and the halls are FULL with beds and patients. It's like a horror/disaster movie. 

Only 17% of Californians can afford to purchase an AVERAGE home. The median home price in CA is $900,000. MEDIAN. 

And yes...everything here is awesome, and this is the ideal that people like you want to spread across the entire nation. 

[jbycho 630]

5 minutes ago, TheNewGirl said:

Do you HONESTLY think that California can continue on the current path and be successful? 

Gov Newsom is catering more to the center and right leaning folks himself in some aspects.

He recently stated that he wants to get rid of homeless camps, but wants to throw more money at homelessness. 

People who live here will be taxed to death, with already the highest tax rates in the country. Our AVERAGE gas price right now is almost $5/gallon, and he wants peopel to return to work in July. Our unemployment rate is 5.3% which is among the highest in the nation as well. 

He's bankrupt Medical to try and provide "free" health care to immigrants. Have you been to an emergency room lately? My ER is the SECOND busiest in the entire state; you cannot leave there in under 12 hours, and the halls are FULL with beds and patients. It's like a horror/disaster movie. 

Only 17% of Californians can afford to purchase an AVERAGE home. The median home price in CA is $900,000. MEDIAN. 

And yes...everything here is awesome, and this is the ideal that people like you want to spread across the entire nation. 

And...

California's state and local government debt is over $500 billion, with the state itself holding over $270 billion and local entities over $230 billion. 

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

9 hours ago, iam90sbaby said:

Can you give me one example of a country thats multicultural that didn’t collapse on itself? 

You’re living in one. There are several others. 

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

5 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I wonder what Tim’s favorite part of Islamic culture is? 

Great question. Probably the various Eid celebrations. They can be beautiful to watch. 
I have been to several Muslim dinners. The love of family is really special. 

[The Real timschochet 6,534]

12 minutes ago, TheNewGirl said:

Do you HONESTLY think that California can continue on the current path and be successful? 

Gov Newsom is catering more to the center and right leaning folks himself in some aspects.

He recently stated that he wants to get rid of homeless camps, but wants to throw more money at homelessness. 

People who live here will be taxed to death, with already the highest tax rates in the country. Our AVERAGE gas price right now is almost $5/gallon, and he wants peopel to return to work in July. Our unemployment rate is 5.3% which is among the highest in the nation as well. 

He's bankrupt Medical to try and provide "free" health care to immigrants. Have you been to an emergency room lately? My ER is the SECOND busiest in the entire state; you cannot leave there in under 12 hours, and the halls are FULL with beds and patients. It's like a horror/disaster movie. 

Only 17% of Californians can afford to purchase an AVERAGE home. The median home price in CA is $900,000. MEDIAN. 

And yes...everything here is awesome, and this is the ideal that people like you want to spread across the entire nation. 

To answer your question: yes I do. 

We certainly have many problems here and you’ve stated some of them quite succinctly. Yet despite all those problems we remain the richest state, the 5th largest economy on Earth. I would argue that the good easily outweighs the bad.