Olivia
February 13, London: The UK government is working to close a legal loophole that allowed a Palestinian family to secure the right to live in Britain after initially applying through a scheme meant for Ukrainians.
The case was raised by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch during the Prime Minister’s Questions, calling it “completely wrong” and pressing for immediate action. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed, stating, “It should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration.” He confirmed that the home secretary was already working on addressing the issue.
The family of six, whose home in Gaza was destroyed by an air strike, had applied to join the father’s brother in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme. Their application was rejected in May last year, as the Home Office determined they did not meet the scheme’s criteria. An initial appeal was also dismissed by an immigration tribunal in September.
However, in January, the family won a further appeal before upper tribunal judges, who ruled in their favor on the grounds of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to a family life. This decision has sparked political controversy, with Badenoch insisting it “cannot be allowed to stand” and urging the government to appeal. She warned against allowing “enormous numbers of people to exploit our laws in this way.”
Despite repeated questioning from Badenoch on whether the government would appeal and change immigration laws, Starmer assured her that the loophole would be closed. “She asked me if we’re going to change the law and close the loophole in question one, I said yes. She asked me again in question two, and I said yes. She asked me again in question three, it’s still yes,” he remarked.
However, the prime minister’s spokesperson did not clarify the specifics of the loophole in question.
Badenoch also called out for stricter measures on obtaining British citizenship, using the case to highlight broader immigration concerns. She pointed out that the Palestinian family’s UK-based relative came from Gaza in 2007 and is now a British citizen. “This is why we need to break the conveyor belt from arriving in the UK to acquiring indefinite leave to remain, then a British passport, and now a right to bring six family members here,” she argued.
Starmer responded by criticizing Badenoch for previously supporting high immigration levels. “It was a one-nation experiment in open borders, and she was the cheerleader,” he said.
A Home Office spokesperson confirmed the government is reviewing the case and seeking legal avenues to prevent similar situations in the future. While the UK has safe legal routes for Afghans, Ukrainians, and people from Hong Kong, there is currently no specific pathway for Palestinians.
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