Labour MPs are reportedly planning to force a Commons vote on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's controversial migration reforms, which would double the time migrants must wait for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years. The move threatens to expose deepening divisions within the party.
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has criticised the plans, calling them a "breach of trust" for migrants who have already settled in the UK. She spoke at an event alongside Folkestone MP Tony Vaughan, who has coordinated a letter signed by over 100 Labour MPs urging the government to rethink the proposals.
One MP described the reforms as needing to be "binned," while another said it was wrong to "renege on promises" made to people who have "uprooted their lives" to come to the UK. The proposed vote would not be binding, but it could highlight internal party tensions.
A Home Office spokesperson defended the changes, stating they address the "considerable burden that settlement poses on taxpayers, communities, and public services." The government later insisted its position had not changed, after Downing Street initially appeared open to watering down the plans.
