𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Keir Starmer is set to cave in to leadership rival Angela Rayner with a humiliating U-turn on flagship immigration reforms. The Prime Minister is reportedly drawing up plans to water down controversial changes to the rules for obtaining indefinite leave to remain, also known as settlement.

It follows a furious backlash from Labour MPs who opposed the reforms – and an incendiary speech this week from Angela Rayner, the former Deputy Prime Minister, who condemned the changes and called them a “breach of trust”. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced that many migrants will need to live in the UK for 10 years to obtain indefinite leave to remain, which gives them the right to live and work in the UK without restrictions and makes them eligible for benefits and social housing. This is up from five years now.

What has caused most controversy is a plan to apply the new rules to people already living in the UK, including those who have been here for almost five years. Many will now be told they have to wait another five years before obtaining the status, which Ms Rayner condemned as “moving the goalposts”.

However, the Government is now reported to be looking at “transitional arrangements” for people already here.

It says the policy is subject to the results of a consultation – which could provide an opportunity to row back on the changes.

Sources told website Politico that the proposals had been “shifting anyway” before Ms Rayner’s intervention.

Ms Mahmood has repeatedly argued that the new rules must be retrospective because huge numbers of people who came to the UK between 2022 and 2024 are about to hit the five-year deadline.

In a speech on March 5, Ms Mahmood said the Government will “address the challenge posed by the impending settlement of the hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers and their dependants who arrived between 2022 and 2024.

“That means applying any rule changes to those who are in the UK today, but have not yet received settled status.

“If we do not, we will see a £10 billion drain on our public finances and further strain on public services – like housing and healthcare – already under immense pressure.

“That is an affront to the idea of fairness within our society. It is an affront to every family currently waiting for social housing. To those who have already spent too long on an NHS waiting list. And to British taxpayers, who will inevitably foot the bill.”

Now, however, Government sources are insisting the final plans are subject to the results of a consulation.

A Government spokesperson said today: “We will always welcome those that come to this country and contribute to our national life. But the privilege of living here forever should be earned, not automatic.

“Between 2021 and 2024, this country experienced levels of migration it had historically seen over four decades. We must be honest about the scale and impact of hundreds of thousands of low-skilled migrants getting settlement.

“The Government will double the route to settlement from five to 10 years. As announced in November, we are consulting to apply this change to those in the UK today but have not received settled status. We are currently reviewing the 200,000 responses and will outline our response in due course.”