By Kevin Schofield

Copyright huffingtonpost

People who have lived legally in the UK for decades could face deportation and the break-up of their families under a Reform UK government, experts have warned.

Nigel Farage, the party’s leader, unveiled plans on Monday which could see hundreds of thousands of immigrants forced to leave the country if he becomes prime minister.

He vowed to scrap so-called “indefinite leave to remain (ILR)” status, which migrants can currently apply for if they have lived in Britain for five years.

Zia Yusuf, Reform’s policy chief, said it would also be “rescinded retrospectively”, meaning those previously granted it could be deported.

Even if they are allowed to stay in the UK, they would no longer be allowed to claim any benefits.

An estimated 430,000 people had ILR status at the end of 2024.

Dr Ben Brindle, researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said removing could have far-reaching consequences for families with long-established roots in the UK.

He said: “To acquire ILR, most migrants will have had multiple immigration applications accepted by the government and will have been given the right to permanent status.

“While some have been in the UK for 5 to 10 years, others will have lived in the UK for decades, and may have British children who have only ever lived in the UK. It is difficult to find any precedent for such a change in a high-income democracy.”

He added: “The largest impacts would likely be on refugees and the family members of British citizens, who are less likely to meet economic or language requirements.

“Those who don’t meet the stringent citizenship criteria would either face long periods with temporary status or may lose it entirely and be liable for removal.

“This would almost certainly result in lower public spending on benefits, but would also lead to increased poverty among certain groups, who would remain in the UK but with less secure status.”

Rachel Harrison, national secretary of the GMB union described the plans as “morally repugnant”.

She said: “Our public services – especially the NHS – and our care sector are utterly reliant on migrant workers. Without them our care and health sectors would collapse.

“This is yet more performative politics from a bunch of millionaires and their pals who do not live in the real world.”

Meanwhile, the Reform plan was plunged into chaos after it emerged that the amount of money the party claimed it would save was wrong.

Farage was also forced to admit that European citizens living in the UK as part of the post-Brexit EU Resettlement Scheme will not be affected by the policy.

Labour chair Anna Turley said Reform’s plans were “falling apart in real time”.

She said: “Nigel Farage’s not even half-baked plan is unfunded, unworkable and falling apart in real time.

“Their policy was in pieces before their press conference even started when they relied on discredited numbers.

“And now Reform have been forced to admit that their policy does not apply to people from the EU – destroying Farage’s claims that it covers all foreign-born nationals.

“Farage is unable to say how many families his policy would break up, what the cost to businesses would be, what would happen to pensioners and how long it would take to implement – basic questions that any serious political party would know the answers to before making an announcement like this.

“They’re just not serious. Yet again they’re chasing headlines with no plan.

“It’s just more of the ‘don’t know’ answers the British public has come to expect from Farage and Reform.”