A Tory MP who is seen as a possible future leader of the party has been condemned for calling for the deportation of legally settled families in order to make the UK mostly “culturally coherent”.
In comments that have been dubbed “deeply concerning and unpatriotic”, Katie Lam said she thinks large numbers of people with legal status in Britain should “go home”.
Her remarks drew cross-party criticism, with Labour MP Richard Quigley saying they show “how far the Tory party have fallen”.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski told The Independent that the comments were “yet another example of Farage saying jump and the old parties saying ‘how high?’”, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to condemn the comments.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Ms Lam had said: “There are also a large number of people in this country who came here legally, but in effect shouldn’t have been able to do so.
“It’s not the fault of the individuals who came here, they just shouldn’t have been able to do so.
“They will also need to go home. What that will leave is a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people.”
Hitting back at her comments, Mr Polanski said: “If we want to talk about coherency, what does this even mean? Who gets to decide what is or isn’t culturally coherent?
“And how can they call themselves conservatives when they want to erode the fundamental idea that it’s totally unfair to change the rules once someone has made this their home?”
He added: “This is yet another example of Farage saying jump and the old parties saying ‘how high?’”
Ms Lam’s proposals are similar to policies outlined by Nigel Farage, who has promised to scrap indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which would leave tens of thousands of people who have legally settled in Britain at risk of deportation.
The Labour government has also promised to reform ILR, making it available only to those who have been in the UK for 10 years and who can prove they have made a contribution to society.
Responding to Ms Lam’s comments, Mr Quigley said: “This perfectly represents how far the Tory party have fallen and how desperate for relevance they are.
“Being called a rising star in the current Conservative Party is the equivalent of saying you have installed wing mirrors on the space shuttle.
“She should worry more about being politically coherent than attacking people that are legally settled here. People like Katie are exactly what is wrong with our politics. Ambition above all else.”
Fellow left-wing Labour MP Rachael Maskell also hit out at Ms Lam for her remarks, telling The Independent: “There is a good reason why the Conservatives are not in power and are totally unelectable, when they seek to divide our communities and threaten people who are contributing to our economy and country.
“If people are granted the right to be in the UK, we must recognise the enormous contribution that they bring and ensure that they and their children are properly integrated into our communities.
“As things stand, our NHS and social care system would fall over if such a policy were to be introduced.”
In a letter to Mrs Badenoch, Sir Ed dubbed her remarks “deeply concerning and unpatriotic”, adding: “People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to ‘go home’. This is their home.”
The Lib Dem leader said Ms Lam’s suggestion of removing thousands of people who are in the UK legally “shows just how far your party has moved away from the fundamental values of decency, tolerance and respect for the rule of law that the vast majority of people in our country hold dear”.
He urged Mrs Badenoch to clarify whether the MP’s comments reflect the party’s position, asking who the party thinks “shouldn’t have been able” to come to the UK legally.
“What does ‘a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people’ mean and how would this be set out in the Conservative Party’s immigration rules?” he asked.
