Reform would remove rights from EU citizens with settled status

[Toffeefudgecaramel]

"EU nationals based permanently in the UK have expressed alarm over a Reform UK plan to target their rights to accommodation and employment, saying the policy is a betrayal of promises made in the Brexit referendum 10 years ago.
Under updated migration policies, Nigel Farage’s party would evict all overseas nationals from social housing and make it notably more expensive for companies to employ them, with both policies also affecting EU nationals who have settled status.
Under the UK’s Brexit deal with the EU, people with such status have the permanent right to live and work in the UK, as well as to receive social security and pensions, as do family members.
Both the new policies would require a renegotiation of the Brexit deal, with the possibility that the EU would penalise UK nationals living in the bloc as a reciprocal policy, or impose trade barriers."

Reform UK plan to target EU nationals based in Britain ‘absolutely outrageous’ | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian

I suspect this is electioneering and the actual policy wouldn't touch those with settled status, as it would be a mare to sort, those who didn't get it in the Brexit period, I can very much see having this happen, and I'm not entirely sure it's that bad a thing.

Quote from the OP "Under updated migration policies, Nigel Farage’s party would evict all overseas nationals from social housing and make it notably more expensive for companies to employ them"

You are not sure that's a bad thing ?

Are you aware many settled foreign nationals in the UK do not want UK citizenship? Because for many, esp those from countries that do not recognize dual nationality, UK citizenship is a disadvantage.

So this policy would effectively force many people into having to take UK citizenship.

I feel sick just reading the article. Even leaving aside the effect on individuals, including people who have lived in the UK for decades and are married to British citizens and have children who are British citizens. Think about the effect on the reputation of the UK - deliberately going against what was agreed with the EU in the Brexit negotiations. Spelling out yet again that the UK is completely untrustworthy.

I suspect that would affect many NHS staff. It’s a disgusting policy but what else should we expect from that vile party.

This is all highly illegal and any new law wouldn't get through the Lords. It's just propaganda.

We will need to wait for the official Reform manifesto then. If it is illegal for them to do, and they campaign on it, then that is dishonest.

If they say they will change laws, disband or change the HoL, then should people be worried then ?

I think what Nige says he will do and what he will actually be able/allowed to do are two different things.

I suspect (as many politicians) he is saying what he thinks people (who will vote for him) want to hear, and for a lot of them it’s based around immigration. In reality if he gets in as PM he’ll look to do whatever makes him and his cronies most money.

As he struggled to show up for work as an MEP and an MP (has he held any surgeries yet?) I think he’ll crumble as a PM. He’s the biggest work shy grifter of them all, imo of course.

He won't even be able to stop the small boats as that is international law he'd be messing with.

If the EU went retaliatory it would once again mean my life was impacted negatively by a referendum I didn’t even get a vote in.

However I’m not that concerned because I don’t think Reform is going to get within sniffing distance of actual power. It may, or may not continue to exist as a pressure group on direction of travel during elections, as will Restore. Although IMO Reform is more vulnerable to their high profile leader withdrawing in the face of perceived failure to perform than Restore, which would have a dramatic effect on its prominence.

The Left has had to content with serious competition eating into its vote share for donkey’s years. Even pre-Greens. The desperation when the SDP was formed was palpable, nothing performative about it, voices, faces and words mirrored the significance strain. So the Left out of necessity has learned to vote tactically.

It’s a newer feature in elections for the Right. But they are learning. I can’t see Restore voters choosing tactical because they are enjoying not having to vote “least worst”. Reform I think will be more vulnerable to leaking votes to Restore and the Conservatives. Nigel doesn’t seem to have much of a poker face. When he sounds demoralised you can see the hard wobble of confidence in his supporters. This latest by-election lack of poker face might be quite hard to recover from.

So I think all things considered I, and my counter-parts in the U.K., have many layers of protection between us and any plans to upset the status quo of our right to abide and work where we are.

My mum is one. Been in Britain since the 70s, married a Brit, has children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If this was ever to happen I would be so worried for her, but I do think its extremely unlikely to ever pass into law if Reform ever got into power (also unlikely)

This would potentially devastate my family as we are mixed nationality. And taking citizenship is not the answer because I really believe if Farage got his way he'd come for naturalised citizens next. The right wingers have already been going on about how many generations need to have been here to make you "properly" British. It's a deeply worrying time that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

There was some reaction yesterday in the Media from people with EUSS.

Removing their rights would involve renegotiation of the EU exit deal.

Also as noted above some countries, Netherlands was quoted, make dual citizenship difficult or impossible.

'Nigel Farage’s party would evict all overseas nationals from social housing and make it notably more expensive for companies to employ them'.

This was literally the rhetoric of the far left (ie Tony Benn) in the 70s and 80s.

Tony Benn?

Have you a link to stand that up as applying to those already here at the time

Tony Benn was completely opposed to the EU as he thought it was undemocratic and it was increasing migration so companies could then just employ foreigners on lower wages.

This makes me angry, my grandfather was given indefinite leave to remain in 1973. This country is his home and has been for nearly 60 years.

Reform is made of vile individuals so I am not surprised they would consider doing this.

They are also rather unable to see beyond headline grabbing, right wing pleasing policies, so they probably have not considered for a minute the fact that this would affect UK nationals who live/work abroad as EU countries would apply the same drastic measures if Farage ever got anywhere near government and was stupid enough to do this...

I have a relative like that - she's lived in England for over 60 years, with British children and grandchildren. But post Brexit was given a hard time with a couple of long interviews with some immigration person. I think she said one of them lasted 3 hours. Apparently she had to prove that she was in the UK on one particular day out of that 60 year period. She's never worked and all bills are in her husband's name, which made things much more difficult for her.

Poor woman. My mum at least had worked most of the time, even if only part time when we were kids.

Nigel Farage and his cronies are just awful people. What to be power at any cost.

And in another win for “past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour”…

The first drip drip drip to soften up Reform members to a Reform with less Nigel (potentially leading to No Nigel) hit the Daily Mail yesterday lunchtime.

I thought the by-election loss would hit him hard. Just happening a bit quicker than I expected. I assumed a week or two down the line before the first softening up of the members would happen.

Under these odious purity tests not even the King would count as a Brit. It's depressing that we've gotten here so quickly, and even more depressing that no one is discussing the ultra wealthy elites who are pushing this narrative so we don't scrutinise them too heavily.

Not just him and his cronies, but his voters too. It's time to face the music. Certain people have a nasty and twisted streak - they don't want good for others, just for themselves and they're willing to harm their own interests to see others suffer.

What Reform policies will actually help the average Reform voter? Very few, but if it means brown and black people get a kicking they're happy to go ahead. The only justice in the prospect of them coming to power is that some of their most ardent supporters are those most likely to suffer whether it's the destruction of workers rights, the end of the NHS, cutting of benefits, scrapping the minimum wage.

This would affect me.
I'm from a country that doesn't offer double citizenship and don't want to give up mine in case my husband who is British finally agrees to move to my home country AND because I'm convinced Nigel and his followers will come after naturalised citizens next.
If things get really bad I'll just need to give up my citizenship as although my husband promised we'd leave if he felt I wasn't safe for me, I know this promise won't stand. Can't move with the kids without husband's permission.
Really crappy situation to be in 😔

It’s hard enough when you are in our position (immigrant married to national, minor children who cannot be taken out of the country without permission) without adding extra stress.

Go take a look at my first post, and then the update plus image I posted later on. Hopefully that will reassure you that you don’t need to worry about Reform. Because despite what the former chairman is saying, Reform is Nigel, and No Nigel means Reform shrinks even as a pressure party.

I had an emotionally hard time when the Brexit results came in and I watched my legal right to remain dissolve before my eyes. Very unexpectedly because all the polling and opinion had seemed so sure Remain would win. It was years before the Italian Government (of the day, cos we changed government at least one, possibly twice during the process) finally decided what our status was and how it would be processed.

Neither of us deserve that stress based on a far fetched, highly unlikely, Nigel throwing spaghetti at the wall as a distraction from his recent loss, “maybe”.

We need all the emotional reserves we have for managing a life of two halves, being an immigrant, having bicultural + bilingual kids and any rule changes that are real rather than imaginary.

Massive hug.