People in UK legally shouldn't 'live in fear', says Burntwood Labour
“My name is Cat. I’ve lived in the UK, perfectly legally, for 22 years. I’m a Burntwood Parish Councillor; I work in Lichfield and pay taxes; my daughter at school is a UK citizen; I’ve paid thousands in visa fees; and Nigel Farage’s Reform wants to throw me out of the country.”
Cat Kube moved from South Africa to Lichfield in 2003, and has had Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) since 2011. But she’s now concerned that Nigel Farage’s rhetoric on kicking out immigrants, including those with ILR, could tear her world apart. “I’ve been a part of this community for over twenty years, and I contribute to it – I was delighted recently to join Burntwood Town Council as a Parish Councillor. I pay taxes and I spend money with local businesses. Why do some people want me to leave? This is my home. I may not yet be a UK citizen but I’m proud of what’s now my community, my country and my flag.”
Russ Bragger, Labour Party Chair in Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages, said that people like Cat should be celebrated: “there are lots of people like Cat. They’ve jumped through hoops to become an integral part of our community, they work hard, and I’m proud of Cat and people like her.
Legal immigrants aren’t some theoretical ‘other’ people – they’re the care assistants, the shop managers, the business people, the friends that make our community better. Why does Reform want people like Cat to live in fear that they may be told to leave? I find it hard to believe that local Reform councillors agree with Nigel Farage that hard-working people like Cat, and the others like her who make a contribution to our community, should be asked to leave, to go to places that are no longer home. I hope very much that they’ll agree with the rest of us that Cat – and people like her – have a positive contribution to make to our community.”
