Compare · side by side
Conservative vs Labour on immigration: how they compare
A hard numerical cap versus enforcement against smuggling gangs: the two parties take very different routes to lower net migration.
Conservative
- A binding, legal annual cap on work and family visas that falls each year.
- Parliament votes on the level annually.
- A Deportation Bill to speed removals.
- Framed as guaranteed control after years of missed targets.
Labour
- A Border Security Command to disrupt small-boat smuggling gangs.
- Higher skilled-worker salary and skill thresholds; ended overseas care-worker recruitment.
- Scrapped the Rwanda removals scheme.
- No hard cap — enforcement and selective tightening instead.
The bottom line
The Conservatives offer a numerical guarantee (a cap that cannot be breached) plus a deterrent; Labour focuses on enforcement against gangs and tightening specific routes, without a cap. Read both explainers for the detail.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between the Conservative and Labour immigration plans?
The Conservatives would set a legal cap on visas that cannot be exceeded, plus a Deportation Bill. Labour has no cap; it created a Border Security Command to target smuggling gangs, raised work-visa thresholds and scrapped the Rwanda scheme.