UK Housing Secretary Criticizes Home Office Migrant Visa Plan
Angela Rayner argues that changes to permanent residency rules unfairly affect foreign care workers.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has voiced strong opposition to a Home Office plan that would make it more difficult for foreign workers to obtain permanent residency in the UK. Rayner stated that the proposed changes would "change the goalposts" for individuals who have relocated to the UK with the intention of caring for vulnerable residents.
Her comments specifically address foreign workers recruited to staff UK care homes. "I do have concerns about that … when you ask someone to come here and look after your most vulnerable and they spend years dedicating themselves, moving their lives here to look after our loved ones," Rayner told The Times. She indicated that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is aware of her opposition.
Reports suggest that Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, also opposes the plan and may be considering an exemption for foreign care sector staff already in the UK. Furthermore, at least 100 Labour MPs and trade unions are reportedly against the crackdown, indicating significant internal party friction over the policy. This disagreement is expected to be a notable issue at the upcoming Labour conference.
Between 2022 and 2024, the UK recruited approximately 185,000 foreign care sector staff. The government halted this recruitment last year as part of efforts to reduce net migration figures.
In a separate but related discussion, Burnham has blamed Brexit for the UK's difficulty in preventing Channel migrant crossings, citing a loss of collaboration with neighboring countries. This stance contrasts with Mahmood's earlier assertion that Brexit was not the cause of the small boats crisis. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed Burnham's position as "nonsense."