Burnham hesitant on home secretary’s immigration reforms
Andy Burnham has stopped short of committing to bringing in all of the home secretary’s immigration reforms days after senior ministers failed to give it their full support, reports BritPanorama.
While the prime minister said he strongly supports the idea that indefinite leave to remain is a “right to be earned,” he indicated that the government would “come forward with our decisions soon” following a consultation. Speculation has mounted that proposals to extend the time before foreign workers can claim permanent residence in the UK could be watered down to avoid a Labour rebellion after criticism from senior MPs and cabinet ministers.
This comes after the energy secretary this week repeatedly refused to offer explicit support for the controversial immigration reforms. Under proposals unveiled in November 2025, there would be stricter minimum requirements for gaining indefinite leave to remain, while those who meet the requirements would face varying qualifying periods depending on their circumstances.
Asked whether he would commit to sticking to the plans, the prime minister stated, “We’re in a position where we’ve been consulting on those reforms, and we will come forward with our decisions soon.” He added, “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.”
There has been a backlash within the party regarding the proposal to increase the five-year wait for claiming indefinite leave to remain by up to 10 years for foreign care workers. Tensions over the policy surfaced when housing secretary Angela Rayner publicly criticized the prospect of backdating the plans earlier this year.
This week, energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh criticized attempts to “prolong the time people have to wait for settlement” in a later-deleted online post. On Thursday, Ms Fahnbulleh stated that she “fully” supports the home secretary’s immigration reforms, attempting to distance herself from a “light-hearted” remark she made earlier.
She had said that she pledged to “never lie” when she entered politics, which led to some “awkward moments,” including an interview on Sky News where she repeatedly refused to confirm her backing for the plans. Though ministers have denied a split in the cabinet, Ms Fahnbulleh struggled to specifically support Ms Mahmood’s changes to ILR.
Later, Ms Fahnbulleh posted on X: “Today I made what was meant to be a light-hearted self-deprecating remark. I didn’t get it right and it hasn’t come off as I intended. I fully support our home secretary and the government’s position on migration reform. As I said earlier this week, it’s absolutely right that people should have to make a contribution to this country in order to earn citizenship.”
Ms Rayner sought to downplay reports of a cabinet rift over the immigration proposals and insisted she has “full confidence” in her colleague, stating that she believes they will formulate a policy that is fair to both taxpayers and migrants, following a consultation on the plans.
