[richrichardsson]

I would half like to move back to the UK, but I'm terribly worried that after jumping through all the hoops so that my EU citizen partner could come with us and be a part our children's lives that Reform would get in and throw out all the "undesirables" (basically anyone without a British Passport at first, sure they won't stop there). I'm really not sure how likely them attaining power is, but it sure looks like a terrible but possible future from afar. :(

[dochne]

All of my EU friends living in the UK have now applied for citizenship.

The risk profile for "I have indefinite leave to remain" has moved from "this won't be an issue at all" to "we have no trust in the government on this" in a few short years.

Profoundly depressing

[graemep]

I really cannot understand why people who are permanently settled in a country would not apply for citizenship.

It is not a matter of trust. Unless you are a citizen your right to remain in a country is always subject to the approval of the government and rules can change. it is the point of the distinction between "indefinite leave to remain" and citizenship.

I have noticed that only white people commit to living in the UK without becoming citizens. Sindhu Vee is very funny about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DNgi5Tok4&t=90s

[Nursie]

As a brit also watching from afar...

It does seem scarily likely, but he still has a few years to really screw things up before we get there. Fingers crossed.

Without a large-scale cock-up, I don't see Starmer as inspiring enough to stop him unfortunately. Lets hope someone else steps up to the plate with a bit more charisma.

[RobotToaster]

Unless something major happens I'm almost certain they'll either win the next election or be part of a coalition.

About the only thing that can stop them is the Tories holding onto relevance enough to split their vote again.

[ejejee]

It’s not likely at all that they’ll win the next election lmao.

[graemep]

I think you are worrying too much and a lot of this is media hype. Their main focus is small boats and people entering the country illegally. If they do restrict them more you are almost certainly better off getting your partner a visa before (but I think you would need to marry to get a spouse visa though).

> Reform would get in and throw out all the "undesirables" (basically anyone without a British Passport at first, sure they won't stop there)

I think that is an exaggerated view from a distance. I see no evidence they can do that, or want to. At the time of the Brexit campaign Farage said he wanted skilled immigrants (he gave the example of Indian doctors immigrating in the 1970s as the wort of thing he wanted). Nor can the country afford to lose skilled people. Its worth remembering that Reform would not agree to what Elon Musk wanted in return for funding so I think its safe to assume Reform would not be as extreme as the current US government.

I am of foreign birth, as is my younger daughter (she was born abroad) and I am not particularly worried. I would worry if Rupert Lowe's Restore party started making gains, or Ben Habib's Advance party.

> I'm really not sure how likely them attaining power

They are doing well in the polls now but my feeling is they are peaking. Letting on too many Conservative defectors makes them look at lot less of an anti-establishment party (a huge part of their appeal) and they are becoming too extreme (I think in reaction to the splash, mostly on social media) made by Advance and Restore (one of those is what Elon Musk endorses, so that gives you an idea where they are).

[pjc50]

The government can very easily change your status from "legal" to "illegal" by flipping a bit. And the newspapers, who are driving this, don't care about skills, they care about the raw numbers. The members of the public driving this don't even care about immigration status, but skin colour.

[n1b0m]

Reform would create ICE-style agency and end leave to remain

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/22/reform-uk-i...

[drcongo]

This could easily be copied and pasted from the replies to people who were worried about the rise of facism in the US a couple of years ago.

[Havoc]

For what it’s worth I’ve had zero problems thus far (under eu settled scheme)

[graemep]

They have missed the EU settled scheme so its going to have to be a normal visa - so either the partner has to be skilled or wealthy enough to qualify, or it has to be a spouse visa.

[ozlikethewizard]

If (more likely when but gotta stay optimistic) the fascists do take power there will be people that fight. There already are so many people standing up. My recommendation for a non-brit would unfortunately be to avoid moving to anywhere that could be classified as Little England. I'm fortunate enough to live in the bubble that is the "UKs happiest city", and while you cant pretend racism / xenophobia are extinct here, people do stick up for eachother and mind their own businesses. The UK is great, even so for immigrants, its just finding those pockets of tolerance and kindness in an ever growing sea of shite. British people need to focus on rebuilding our strong local communities that were smashed by Thatcher, and then this too shall pass.

[graemep]

Its funny how all the racism is happening somewhere else in the country, but very few people experience it themselves. Survey data supports this.

I have lived in several parts of the UK, have friends in many more. I currently live in a very white village. I am visible ethnic minority. I see no sign of racism. I know of a few overt racists at second or third hand (they know someone who knows someone I know).

There is lots of racism on social media, but even most of that is in reaction to ragebait posts, some posted by people who are not even British.