PM Weighs Softening Immigration Rules Amid Party Division

Prime Minister Andy Burnham appears poised to soften a significant immigration crackdown, a move intended to prevent a deep rift within the Labour party. Burnham has stopped short of fully endorsing Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's proposed reforms, suggesting that the government may 'tinker' with the plans to defuse a cabinet row and avoid a potential backbench rebellion.

One area under consideration for revision involves the timeline for foreign workers to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). The current proposals would extend this period from five years to as long as 15 years, a change opponents argue could alienate progressive voters. The potential retrospective application of these changes to individuals already in the UK, aimed at deterring a surge in claims following the pandemic, has also drawn criticism.

Sources indicate that Burnham is exploring options such as exempting certain groups, particularly healthcare and care sector workers, from the extended ILR waiting periods and other aspects of the proposed overhaul. This approach is intended to make the reforms more acceptable to critics and facilitate their passage through Parliament.

The proposed changes have already exposed simmering tensions within the government. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh publicly questioned the extension of settlement waiting times in a now-deleted social media post. During a television interview, Fahnbulleh initially declined multiple times to support Mahmood's proposals, citing a pledge not to