Shabana Mahmood caves under pressure from rebel MPs as Home Secretary waters down migrant crackdown

Shabana Mahmood has watered down her migrant crackdown after the Home Secretary caved to pressure from senior Labour MPs.

Ms Mahmood had been eyeing up plans to extend the wait for permanent residency from five to 10 years, while lower-paid migrants might have to wait another five years to achieve indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

But the plans were slated by Cabinet colleague Angela Rayner, who previously described Ms Mahmood's proposals as "un-British" and raised concerns over the impact on care workers already in the UK.

Now, the Home Secretary has buckled to the furious backlash over the length of the wait for care workers, reducing the wait from 15 to just five years - although the Home Office warned the move could cost £10billion.

Only care workers earning at least £25,000 who arrived in Britain before May 2025 will be eligible for the shorter time.

Migrant arrivals after this date will have to be resident for the full 10-year period.

Boris wave migrants will be allowed to apply for a second five-year visa.

The number of MPs who had been opposed to the proposed legislation could even stretch far beyond 100, around a quarter of the Labour Party.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Diane Abbott, Clive Lewis and other Labour MPs called on the Government to amend the planned changes, branding Ms Mahmood's proposals "Windrush-era policies".

Announcing the reforms in the House of Commons today, Ms Mahmood told MPs: "Those who commit an immigration breach will see settlement push back to 20 years.

"While those who have claimed benefits must have had five continuous years without falling on the state before they make their application.

"A number of groups will see their path to settlement remain as today. These include Hong Kong British nationals, overseas members of our armed forces, those with a British connection and those on legacy routes such as Windrush."

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The Home Secretary said that although the Government wants to "open new, safe and legal routes for genuine refugees", they must also "discourage dangerous and illegal crossings".

She said: "As we open new, safe and legal routes for genuine refugees, we must also discourage dangerous, unsafe and illegal crossings, and settlement plays a key part in this.

"We will place those who come to this country on one of our new safe and legal routes on a five-year path to settlement. This is as fast a path as higher earners entering Britain today."

Labour MP Diane Abbott warned Ms Mahmood that she is "at risk" of creating "another Windrush scandal" with her reforms.

Ms Abbott said: "It is right that care workers are exempted from the new arrangements for (indefinite leave to remain).

"But for the rest of the workforce, the retrospective nature of these new arrangements still seem to be unfair because you can come in legally, you can work legally and then have your residency rights turned upside down. How can that be fair?"

Ms Mahmood responded: "On indefinite leave to remain and what she calls the retrospective nature of the changes, she will know I do not agree with that characterisation of those changes.

"Any Government needs to be able to make changes to immigration rules to reflect things that are happening, to reflect abuses that we can see in the system, to also be able to make additional changes based on assessment of numbers and costs."