British politics is in a period of upheaval, with the two-party model unraveling as Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK gains ground. Yet amid this turmoil, the past fortnight has been surreal even by recent standards. On September 22, Farage vowed to totally scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain — a form of permanent residence granted by the British government to individuals who have shown a long-term commitment to living in the country. The change could affect hundreds of thousands of migrants.
Labour denounced Reform UK’s stance as racist, yet over its annual conference this week it nodded toward tougher settlement rules and mused about “tightening” how human rights law is applied. Even Labour edges the frame of debate rightward while unashamedly flirting with withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Prime Minister Keir Starmer specifically targeted Articles 3 and 8 — barring torture and safeguarding private and family life. The fallout could reshape how the state handles migrants and asylum seekers; at a time of democratic erosion, such safeguards are vital across Western democracies.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch — who took over after the party’s catastrophic July 2024 election defeat — has mostly done one thing: wait. It’s leadership in name more than in practice. Then, this past Thursday, she came for the climate targets: pledging to repeal the Climate Change Act and junking even the promise of Britain eventually reaching net zero.
This hasn’t always been Conservative policy. In fact, in 2019, when then Tory premier Theresa May put the government on a legally binding path to net zero by 2050 — the first major economy to do so — that kind of reversal would have been unthinkable….
Auteur: Georgios Samaras
