Immigration Reforms Face Cabinet Row, Backbench Rebellion
Home Secretary's proposal to extend permanent residency waiting times to 15 years sparks widespread dissent and potential policy adjustments.
Sarah Connor
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed immigration reforms that would significantly increase the waiting time for foreign workers to gain permanent residence in the UK.
The government initiated consultations on immigration reforms in November 2025. Proposals to elevate minimum requirements for indefinite leave to remain were unveiled. The Home Office currently reviews 200,000 responses to these plans.
Dozens of backbench Labour MPs signaled their potential opposition to the legislation. Eighty MPs wrote to the Prime Minister in July, urging him to soften the Immigration and Asylum Bill.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh initially withheld support for Ms Mahmood's proposals during a television interview. She later apologized, affirming her full backing on X for the home secretary and the government's stance on migration reform.
The Prime Minister asserted that settlement is a right earned through contribution. He affirmed, "But I strongly support the home secretary when she says that settlement is a right to be earned through contribution, and that will be the principle that guides our reforms."
Settlement is a right to be earned through contribution, and that will be the principle that guides our reforms.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that declining immigration would lead to a £4bn drop in tax revenues. Currently, individuals without settled status cannot claim benefits classified as 'public funds'.
Legal migrant numbers have reached a historic low. Small boat crossings halved. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner expressed full confidence in the government's policy development.
The Prime Minister is poised to 'tinker' with the plans. Opponents fear the proposals risk alienating 'progressive' voters.
Shabana Mahmood's hardline immigration reforms could be diluted following pressure from Labour MPs and key trade unions. The Prime Minister noted, "We're in a position where we've been consulting on those reforms, and we will come forward with our decisions soon."
We're in a position where we've been consulting on those reforms, and we will come forward with our decisions soon.