Southwark Liberal Democrats call for council leader to oppose changes to indefinite leave to remain

Southwark Liberal Democrats have written to the Labour Leader of Southwark Council calling on her to lobby the Home Secretary to abandon proposals that would double the standard qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to ten years. They have also raised concerns about calls from the Reform Party to scrap ILR altogether. 

This follows the Labour Council Leader’s decision not to co-sign a previous letter raising concerns about the Prime Minister’s “island of strangers” remarks, and its impact on Southwark’s communities. 

Southwark is one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, with around 40 per cent of residents born outside the UK. Many residents rely on ILR as their main route to permanent residence, particularly where British citizenship is unaffordable or incompatible with holding another nationality. Any weakening of ILR would have serious consequences for individuals, families, and communities across the borough. 

Southwark Liberal Democrats have warned that these proposals would place thousands of residents into prolonged insecurity, affecting workers who contribute daily to the borough’s economy and public services, as well as families who have built their lives here. 

They have also highlighted the particular impact on children born in the UK to parents who have settled here in recent years, with prolonged uncertainty risking long-term harm to children’s wellbeing, stability, and sense of belonging. 

Southwark recently became a Borough of Sanctuary, reflecting the borough’s commitment to inclusion, compassion, and integration. Liberal Democrats say the Labour Government’s proposals on ILR run directly counter to those values. 

Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrat Group, said: 

“Migrants are an essential part of Southwark’s social, cultural, and economic fabric. Proposals to scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain, or to force families to wait ten years instead of five for security and stability, would be devastating for residents who have built their lives here.  

At a time when Labour is failing to stand up to its own Government, it is only the Liberal Democrats who are consistently standing up for the values of fairness, openness, and tolerance that define Southwark, which is why we are calling on the Council Leader to back our residents and urge the Government to abandon these harmful proposals.”