Andy Burnham is facing a mutiny from nearly 80 Labour MPs who have sent him a letter warning that the party has allowed itself to be 'blown off course' on migration policy. The rebellion targets Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's crackdown on settlement rights, with rebels demanding key elements be watered down.
Rebels demand retreat on settlement reforms
The MPs want Burnham to ease proposed changes that would require migrants to wait at least 10 years before applying for settlement rights, double the current five-year threshold. Some Labour MPs even suggested that a retreat could lead to Mahmood being replaced, with one claiming she is 'seen as toxic'.
Under the current plans, foreign nationals who arrived in the so-called 'Boris Wave' face a 10 to 15-year wait to apply for indefinite leave to remain. Migrants could also be barred from claiming benefits unless they become British citizens. Arrivals applying for indefinite leave to remain after 10 years must have no criminal record, speak English to A-level standards, and have no debt.
Left-wing MPs voice concerns
The letter, believed to have been organised by Folkestone MP Tony Vaughan, states: 'We have allowed ourselves to be blown off course. After Reform's "Boris wave" rhetoric, we decided to fight on Reform's territory. Targeting a group of migrants that followed the rules and applying this retrospectively does not pass the fairness test for a compassionate but firm system.'
The left-wing politicians said: 'People in Makerfield talked about irregular migration, not making it harder for nurses and care workers to settle here. With a 10-20 year settlement period, the UK would be an international outlier – weakening our soft power and our appeal as a place to study, invest, build a life and form relationships. It would weaken our communities and undermine our own strategies on child poverty, violence against women and girls and homelessness. And the proposals would cost the state billions.'
Unions and health groups join opposition
Unions – including those who have backed Burnham's bid to become Prime Minister – and health groups have also demanded the Government retreat over migration reforms. Net migration surged to a record high of 944,000 in the year ending March 2023. It hit 764,000 in 2022, before dropping to 649,000 in June 2024. A staggering one in 30 people have arrived since 2021, with some 1.6 million people expected to receive indefinite leave to remain over the next five years, which would allow them to claim benefits and get a social home.
Critics have warned this would be a fiscal disaster, with Reform warning it could cost £622 billion.
Asylum reforms also targeted
The mutinous MPs are also targeting Mahmood's asylum reforms. A senior backbencher warned there 'will be opposition to Monday's legislation, and I am already in discussion with whips concerning my opposition to it. As it stands, I and many more will be voting against.' A third Labour MP who hasn't signed the letter said: 'There are profound concerns within the PLP about her [Mahmood's] proposals.'
The Home Secretary highlighted the prospect of 'transitional arrangements' for certain groups of people, suggesting spouses and older people could be among those shielded from her plans to double the default qualifying time for permanent residency. The letter added: 'When we talk about compassion, progressives do not believe us because our hostile rhetoric has already alienated them.'
