To be increasung concerned about Restore Britain.

[NoisyHiker]

I know many people don't like Owen Jones, but I found this article deeply disturbing.

I am a child of immigrants, and my children are mixed race. So things like this are really starting to worry me.

I completely understand why people are angry at the current rate and quality of immigration (my own family are also disgruntled with it). But Restore want to deport even those who have citizenship.

And I am genuinely concerned that things are going to get worse than Farage if the government don't get a grip on this.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/10/restore-britain-right-politics-white-supremacist

@StandFirm

"rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area."

Look around you. Where could this possibly be happening?

Same way we Brexited for the sunny uplands and tanked our economy.
Short memories.

Either:

• people agree with their immigration commitments
• people are annoyed at Labour or the conservatives and want to punish them

-people are voting on local issues.and like the policies/personality of the candidates

It could be any of those. Although if it is the immigration policies that's a bit counterintuitive since local.councils.dont have a say in that.

But I can disagree with other people. So I don't see what the arguement that many people signify means anyway. It's not in itself a good argument for what something is true/a good idea

I doubt many of those voters even looked at the manifesto which isn’t relevant to local politics anyway. Given Reform’s performance in the councils it took over that success is unlikely to be repeated when they’re next up for election.

This is what I think should happen: Invest in economic growth- starting with undoing the harm that Brexit has already wreaked, even though now there are also other pressure points of course, the EU isn't a magic pill, but the single market would be a good start. With that boost in growth, tax more effectively and use that to better manage and fund public services, starting with the police and justice systems. Once you tackle the root causes of the discontent (CoL, housing, public services access) you will find that immigration fades into the background. Our problem is that we are struggling right now and Musk, Trump and Putin are all trying to whip us up into a frenzy. Non EU immigration had a HUGE spike under the Tories just as Brexit was implemented (in that same window many EU citizens actually left). In the last twelve months, people have been starting to leave in significant numbers. I'm not sure that's good news because we need the workforce but it shows the situation is not 'out of control'. I think two things must be looked at on their own merit: do we objectively have more foreign-related criminality or is it just perception due to social media influencers, or do we in fact have the immigration question pretty much under control and what we need to do now is focus on the real economic questions that have caused everyone to get poorer. For me it is the latter.

The schengen area us a group of countries that have a very deep agreement on citizens movements. A Schengen area citizen has to register with another Schengen area country if they are staying for longer than 3 months, so if they move there for work or retirement. They will have to provide their data, much like a visa application, but is is really never going to be refused. Just checked with police, in case of any issues.
Also, Schengen nationals can apply for non-Schengen spouses or dependants to join them. That is a full on visa process.

Whatever that has to do with assylum. I do not think assylum details will be on that. It is possible that is in a similar database, as it will need to be accessed by the very same points at border control.

I haven't read the whole thread but will later when I have more time. I actually read Restore's list of planned actions and thought they sounded like a really sensible party that I was planning on voting for if I could. I knew they planned to do something about immigration etc but I did not see anything about deporting people who have lived here legally for years. I shall revisit their actions to see what they said.

They do have lots of sensible policies that make sense and whether we like it or not the country is in a bad way and does need quite alot of big decisions. Some are going to hurt for sure.

The fact is we have let too many people come here (regardless of their colour). The country is bursting at the seams and our public services, housing can't cope. I don't see how else you could fix it apart from a) shutting borders immediately b) deporting all the illegals (common sense) and c) a bit more extreme perhaps but yes I can see logic for deporting anyone not british who does not benefit the country.

The other alternative is we wait for the country to call in the IMF because that is where we are heading.

As I have said I will need to revisit their manifesto but surely if you are here legally, working and paying taxes and not a criminal/benefit scrounger you have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't expect to be able to go somewhere else and live and then commit criminal acts or drain their country of resources. I mean why would any sensible country allow that. We also should expect people to respect our cultures etc. I mean we go abroad and sometimes have to dress differently to fit in don't we (which is quite right and respectful of the locals).

Yes I am white and born here but I am also a woman in middle age with a high level of education. I say that only because I often see people saying anyone voting reform or restore must be a thug male with no education. I'm sure some people like that vote for reform or restore (and other parties) but definately not all. Recent people I have spoken to who are very angry indeed about immigration/welfare bill etc are a white neighbour in his sixties still working and paying high taxes, a professional woman, white in her fifties who I met while selling my house. The point is people who are voting these parties come from all walks of life. We just remember how nice it was in the nineties when houses were cheap and plentiful, A&E was empty at times, GP appointments freely available and police did actually deal with crime. Yes there were problems no doubt but nothing like what we are seeing today.

Anyway no doubt I will get a pasting for admitting to wanting to vote restore (I voted reform in recent elections) but these are my views and it is a discussion forum so..

@Persephonia1966 For what it's worth, I think Freedom of Movement from the EU has caused all of this angst. It was a bullshit policy from start to finish and it was completely incompatible with a country that had a universal non contributory welfare system. We have shelled out billions in benefits to low skilled Eastern Europeans who we simply did not need to make our economy work.

What is worse, is that highly skilled people from across the globe have been treated far more harshly and have had to pay millions for visa renewals, healthcare etc. Whichever way you look at this, it's just wrong. The figures are astronomical, punitive and give the wrong message to exactly the sort of people we should be welcoming here.

Now, FOM has gone but 8.6million EU migrants applied for settled status after Brexit and the majority are from Eastern Europe. Blair allowing them access to our labour markets when the rest of Europe kept their doors closed for 7 years has been a disaster for this country. People didn't want it, resistance began almost straight away and off the back of it, we now have some very unsavoury political characters entering the field and the future looks very far from rosy. The country has changed beyond all recognition in the last 25 years, the pace and scale has been far too much for any country to cope with. The benefits bill is crippling us. No-one who comes here should be given access to anything in the way of benefits. If these people on the boats can find £xxx to buy their tickets, they can fund themselves when they get here. 39% of UK adults have less than £1000 in savings. We are giving a leg up to a lot of people who have the financial wherewithall to circumvent the system and leapfrog our own poor,. It has got to stop.

If the government don't get a grip on quality and quantity, as I said, we are looking at a Farage led government because people have absolutely had enough, and that includes migrants who have been made to jump through hoops and pay significant amounts to be here, when others have been waved through and handed benefits like sweeties.

Which is why there was a bignpish for a points based visa system like Australia had.
When we left the EU this points based visa system was brought in and people were allowed to immigrate based on having specific skills. Many people from India, Pakistan, Africa came on this system.

If course, if there is a shortage of roofers that is fixed by allowing in roofers from elsewhere then that suits the people paying roofers. But annoys the British roofers because their pay is being effectively cut since there is no longer a shortage. So then the argument was that people were having their wages reduced by immigration. But that is what people said they wanted pre Brexit.

A lot of Polish people in particular who came over during the EU years are now returning to Poland. This is because apolands economy is much better. Likewise other Eastern European countries. This is contributing to the decrease in net migration. But it's framed as bad/ as net migration is only going down because the wrong people are leaving

Benefits aren't being handed out like sweeties. There are strict rules on who can claim them. And the UK has a less generous benefits system than other countries already.

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean by the "Islamification" of Britain, @Greyblankie . I'm not aware of any way in which observance of Islamic customs and religious practice has become the norm for the UK population as a whole, although I can see that it might seem like it for those who live in areas where a high proportion of the population are Muslim.

There are only 4 mosques in the entire county where I live, and they're all in the far south of the county. A lot of the people who live here wouldn't have a clue where to find one, and many Muslims in the county will be living 15-20 miles from their nearest one. There are no certified Halal butchers within 20 miles. According to the last census, the religious make up of the county is 45% Christian, 44% "no religion"; Islam is the next biggest group but well below 1%.

And my county isn't some wild, windswept rural hinterland, but in the SE, an hour on the train from central London. There are only 5 UK non-metropolitan counties with greater population density than the one where I live.

I totally get that Islamic customs and culture may seem dominant in those parts of the UK that have a much higher proportion of residents with South Asian heritage, but that is only a snapshot. It's not indicative of the UK as a whole. I have a friend who comes from one of the smaller Shetland islands; she swears that when people of colour visit they rub them to see if the colour rubs off!

I do fear this is the case. Like in school when the whole class gets detention because one creep caused problems.
I know Starmer has done a teeny tiny bit to address immigration problems but he has rankly failed to speak with command about the issues and offer reassurance that boundaries are being placed.

8.6million EU migrants applied for settled status - that data needs context! First of all, there are many repeat applications by the same individuals who changed their status. So there are duplicates in that number. Of the 4.5 million who successfully had pre-settled or settled status granted, many have in fact permanently left the country. They have only kept their visa up to date. Not the same thing. Overall, it is probably closer to 3.8-4 million and even that remains to be confirmed as many have left since Brexit. According to the ONS there are 6 to -6.5 million foreign residents in TOTAL in the country at this time. Might be lower due to EU citizens leaving and not being accounted for as having left yet.

I think they are great doing to Farage what he’s done to the Conservative Party. Every vote they take off Reform is a win as far as I’m concerned. They won’t get anywhere near power but will split the headcase vote.

For all his wealth and achievements Musk amounts to an internet troll, blowing up the world for his own personal amusement and far from consequence. So pathetic and so terrifying.

As the Greens do to Labour. But then coalitions can happen..

@StandFirm ONS data is not reliable and there is now talk of having an emergency census. But, honestly, any country that takes its population data from asking its head of household to fill in a few pages every 10 years is asking for trouble. The truth is that official figures are completely off. Supermarkets and water companies have long disputed official figures based on their own consumption data, with both suggesting that actual numbers are closer to 80 million.

I'm hoping Restore will split the Reform vote, but it will still leave us with a deeply divided society.

Maybe the only way to get through this is through it and people need to see what it's actually like to live under a Reform government before they will believe that the grass is not greener.

I'm starting to look into options to move abroad. If I was an immigrant with a safe country to return to, I'd be gone already.

The reason our public services and housing are in a state is because of decades of under-investment, @Achievinglots. Even when capital projects like schools and hospitals were built in the Blair/Brown years, they were often done under PFI, and we're still paying for them.

It's especially true of housing: we haven't even built enough social or affordable housing to replace the homes that have been sold since right to buy started in 1980. I believe that there are now over 1m fewer social housing homes than in 1980.

I wouldn't recommend relying on water consumption figures from Southern or SE Water! They piss tons of it away in leaks.

Hounding people out of their neighbourhoods because they are different (usually religion) was part of the 'culture' of Northern Ireland for most of the 20Century. Or they shot or drilled holes in their kneecaps.
Northern Irish don't do culture.

This is my view too.
Proof is the nurses and care workers that had to be rescued from houses attacked during riots.
They are vetted, legal, working and caring for all of us when we are vulnerable.

But they are easier targets that the millionaire who trafficks people through borders, or the drug lord who ruins our young. Plus those who arrive here with zero proof of who they are.

Labour has had quite poor comms.

And adding circa 20 million people in the last 30 years hasn’t compounded those issues?

It is suicidal what has happened. The numbers are way, way higher than what is officially reported.

Yes, isn’t it interesting.

And I would add it always amazes me when posters bang on about EU membership being the solution. They have obviously forgotten, or it escaped their attention, that it was the Merkel Wave that kicked this off to start with.

The EU’s border policy allows these people to travel through one country to another. The EU could get tough tomorrow, like Hungary and Poland have done. They could aggressively patrol the borders and secure them, and set up their own legal routes to asylum. They could make policy that all asylum seekers, even is successful, will eventually have to go back home. They could make the asylum system difficult to exploit and put an end to the abuses of the ECHR system. Yet they don’t.

And the EU has punished Poland and Hungary for choosing to not allow these unchecked men into their countries. God forbid a country should be allowed to have control over its own borders!

The mother in Belfast has apparently said Starmer has blood on his hands, which in some instances I think he has, but it is a shame she didn’t highlight the role the EU elites have played in this, which is substantial.

Why also need statistical analysis on what percentage of these people are in work, on benefits, and the number of dependants that have then since come over.

I remember reading an article on two brothers, one of who had drown in the boat crossing, but the motivation behind the migration that to bring over the father who needed medical support / intervention that they couldn't pay for in their country, but could get on the NHS for free. The surviving brother was full of regret and remorse as to save a life of a family member, it had cost them another.