NIGERIA: UK Is Home, Not Hotel – Badenoch Urges Labour To Adopt Tory Deportation Bill

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has urged the Labour government to immediately adopt the party’s proposed deportation bill to address rising immigration levels in the United Kingdom.

In a video posted on her official X account on Saturday, Badenoch warned that without swift action, close to two million immigrants could gain automatic British citizenship by next year.

“From next year, two million immigrants could automatically claim British citizenship. That’s nearly twice the population of Birmingham,” she said.

The proposed deportation bill was published on Tuesday. It includes strict measures aimed at tightening the UK’s immigration system.

Key provisions include deporting all foreign criminals, enforcing mandatory age checks for asylum seekers, implementing tougher visa rules, and removing the application of the Human Rights Act in immigration cases.

The bill also seeks to make asylum support repayable and denies permanent residency to immigrants who rely on government benefits.

“Until this is the law, we won’t fix it. Labour should adopt it now. It’s time to get tough,” she said.

Badenoch accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government of failing to act on what she described as a national emergency.

She warned that inaction would burden public services and threaten the UK’s social stability.

“Our country is a home, not a hotel,” she said.

The comments come amid growing public concern over immigration numbers, a central issue in recent elections.

Labour has promised to reform immigration but has not announced clear timelines or specific policies.

Badenoch’s push puts pressure on the government to take a definitive stance.

The Conservatives, now in opposition, appear determined to keep immigration high on the political agenda.