Labour to campaign for free movement at next election after conference vote

A motion, passed by a show of hands of conference delegates, commits Labour to make manifesto pledges at the next general election to:

• Oppose current Conservative immigration legislation and any curbing of rights
• Campaign for free movement, equality and rights for migrants
• Reject any immigration system based on incomes, migrants’ utility to business, and number caps or targets
• Maintain and extend free movement rights
• Scrap all “hostile environment” measures
• Ensure unconditional right to family reunion

The motion, pushed by the Labour for Free Movement group, also commits the party to promising to close all immigration detention centres, to extend equal voting rights to “all UK residents” and “actively challenge anti-immigrant narratives”.

Ahead of the 2017 general election, Labour’s manifesto spoke of “new migration management systems” and stated: “Freedom of movement will end when we leave the EU.”

It added: “We will institute a new system which is based on our economic needs, balancing controls and existing entitlements.

“This may include employer sponsorship, work permits, visa regulations or a tailored mix of all these which works for the many, not the few.”