A political row has erupted over the government's expected announcement this afternoon on indefinite leave to remain (ILR). Shadow home secretary Chris Philp, in a post on social media, claimed that Shabana Mahmood was surrendering to "the open-borders Labour left". This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Philp's accusations
Chris Philp wrote: "Later today the government will announce their u-turn on ILR, or Indefinite Leave to Remain. It's clear Shabana Mahmood has been forced to surrender to Angela Rayner and the open-borders Labour left. She will now allow hundreds of thousands of low-wage and no-wage migrants to stay in the UK forever and claim benefits." He recalled Mahmood's own admission in a speech this March that letting low wage care workers alone stay forever would cost taxpayers £10 billion and be an "affront". According to Philp, she now appears to be about to do exactly that. "After talking tough all year, Mahmood appears to have capitulated control of immigration policy to Angela Rayner - and Mahmood's position is looking increasingly untenable," he added.
The Conservative alternative
The Conservative plan is a ten year route to ILR, only for high wage workers. No more low wage workers should be allowed in, and those already here should be required to leave when their temporary work visa expires.
Farage's stance
Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party wants to get rid of ILR completely, has made a similar argument in his own social media post. He noted that the Labour Party is at war with itself over ILR, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood losing a fight to the far left of her own party. Farage wrote: "Tomorrow, she's expected to cave on plans to even tinker with the ILR numbers. Angela Rayner emerges victorious, with her defence of the Tory-era policies hinging on 'fair play' towards foreign nationals." He also added: "But what about fair play towards the British public? Doesn't that count for anything anymore? Villages, towns, suburbs, and cities have to deal with the weight and strain of all this. Not only are ordinary Brits never consulted, but this current cabinet doesn't even have an electoral mandate. It is rightly infuriating to most people who increasingly want net negative migration into Britain."
Political debate
Thus, the government's potential changes to ILR policy further exacerbate divisions within the Labour Party and provide new opportunities for the Conservatives and Reform UK to criticise the government. Shabana Mahmood's statement today will undoubtedly become the subject of heated political debate.