The race to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party and become the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons has taken a sharp turn towards immigration, with India becoming a focal point of heated debates. As the Conservative Party conference kicks off in Birmingham, the two frontrunners, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and shadow housing secretary Kemi Badenoch, have both zeroed in on tightening visa restrictions for Indian nationals.
Jenrick has explicitly called for tough visa restrictions across all categories for India, unless the country agrees to take back its nationals who enter Britain illegally. He highlights the stark disparity between the 250,000 visas issued to Indian nationals in the past year and the estimated 100,000 Indians residing in the UK illegally, lamenting the slow pace of deportations despite existing agreements.
Badenoch, considered a strong contender for the leadership position, has echoed Jenrick’s concerns, focusing on cultural clashes brought to British streets by new migrants. Her comments appear to reference the unrest in Leicester in September 2022, which followed an India-Pakistan cricket match. She asserts that new arrivals should leave their cultural differences behind upon entering the UK, arguing that this is not a controversial stance.
The heated debate over immigration, particularly regarding India, adds a layer of complexity to the already competitive Tory leadership race. With the four-day conference underway, Jenrick and Badenoch will face off against two other candidates, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat, as they present their leadership pitches to MPs. The field will then be narrowed down to the final two contenders, who will battle it out for the online vote of the wider Conservative Party membership.
The new Conservative Party chief and Opposition Leader is expected to be announced on November 2nd. This election follows Sunak’s resignation as Tory leader in the wake of the party’s disappointing performance in the July general election. The British Indian politician, who was re-elected to Parliament from Richmond and Northallerton, has been serving as interim leader until his successor is chosen. The focus on immigration and the prominence of India in this debate underscores the evolving priorities within the Conservative Party and the ongoing impact of immigration on UK politics.
