Steve Harden: Reform risks alienating middle ground voters

Cllr Steve Harden is the Shadow Cabinet Member for Environmental Services on Rushmoor Borough Council.

I was surprised recently to see Reform’s most recent policy on immigration, which announces plans to scrap the Leave to Remain visa status, requiring people to move onto temporary visas, gain citizenship, or face deportation.

Reform UK has been flying high in the polls recently and may see this policy as an opportunity to grab headlines and maintain momentum, but this could backfire badly. It seems that, in an effort to stay ahead of their recent small drop in the polls, they have lurched even further to the right, alienating the middle-ground voters they need.

Most members of the public are frustrated with illegal immigration, the backlog of claims, and deportations. I share those frustrations, particularly regarding the number of illegal arrivals coming across the Channel to be housed in hotels or expensive flats at huge cost to the taxpayer, something I’ve witnessed in my hometown. It’s fair to say Reform UK has been leading the charge on this issue with policy announcements and pushing the debate.

However, with their new proposals on Leave to Remain, they risk overreaching. While Reform may see this as a way to dominate the headlines, it could prove deeply unpopular with the middle-ground voters they need to win over.

Public opinion has shifted; there is now a clear majority who want illegal immigration stopped. However, I don’t believe the public is in a place where they want to see neighbours, friends, or family members who have worked legally for many years, paid into the tax system, and contributed to society, deported simply because they are now retired or unwell.

While Reform might claim this is not their intention, I have strikingly noticed their failure to reassure those on Leave to Remain visas that they will not be deported, despite several opportunities to do so.

Not only is this putting fear in the minds of long-term residents, but it is also causing doubts among those warming to Reform’s message. As a local councillor, I regularly engage with residents and have been posing the question, “How do you feel about Reform’s policy on Leave to Remain?” Most people don’t want to see law-abiding people deported.

Even Reform-supporting members of the public I’ve spoken to are clear: they want to see illegal immigration stopped and those here illegally removed, but not at the expense of those who are here legally and have built a life within our communities.

Some say any publicity is good publicity. But as more people phone radio shows or post online asking whether they or their loved ones might be deported, Reform will find this policy increasingly difficult to defend. The public broadly supports limits on immigration, but crossing the line into deporting those here legally is, for many, a step too far. The British people have a strong sense of fairness—what is right and what is wrong. Reform UK will get bogged down in the detail of this policy, something they are trying to avoid.

Let me give a local example. A resident I spoke to recently has lived in Rushmoor for over 25 years. He worked for the NHS, raised his family here, and is now retired. His concern when he read about Reform’s proposal was simple: “Would I be told to leave?” That sense of anxiety after a lifetime of contribution is unnecessary and unfair.

Policies like this risk turning potential supporters away. Instead of reassuring the public that they can be trusted, Reform is frightening law-abiding people who have given so much to Britain.

The Conservatives recognise the value of those who come here legally, contribute, and play by the rules. That is the balance most voters want to see: firm but fair. End illegal immigration, reduce numbers overall, but don’t punish those who are already settled and making a positive difference.

That balance is why Conservatives remain the only party with a credible, deliverable plan. Reform may shout the loudest, but are they starting to put people off?

Reform may think this policy shows strength. In reality, it shows a lack of judgement. Deporting law-abiding, long-settled people is not what majority of the public want, and it is not what Britain needs.

Conservatives must continue to show that we have the credible, compassionate, and deliverable alternative to stop illegal immigration, reduce overall numbers, but reward those who play by the rules. That is how we restore trust and deliver for the British people.