Angela Rayner has insisted there is no split at the top of Andy Burnham's Cabinet over controversial migration reforms she previously labelled 'un-British'.
The senior Cabinet minister reiterated her criticism over the measures on the eve of Labour's annual conference but said she was not getting into a row with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Reforms extend permanent residence timeline
The reforms, which were first proposed under Keir Starmer's premiership, would increase the timeline for permanent residence from five years to 15 years for foreign social care workers. People who come by small boat would have to wait 30 years, although there will be shorter waits for NHS workers and high earners.
It has sparked an outcry among Labour MPs, who are furious changes will apply to people already in the country legally. The shake-up is slated to apply to all those who have come to the UK since 2021, although ministers have not ruled out creating carve-outs for tens of thousands of care workers.
Rayner voices support for Home Secretary
Ms Mahmood is expected to announce her plans later this year following a consultation which attracted more than 200,000 responses. Asked about her opposition to the migration plans, Ms Rayner told Sky News on Sunday: "Shabana had a consultation on the transitional arrangements, and she's been really clear that we've got to have a fair system that is fair for people that contribute today, and those that come to this country to contribute.
"I have absolute support for Shabana in that, and I'm sure she'll come to a good conclusion on that. I contributed to that consultation, and I'm on the record for that. We're all united.
"We've seen on illegal migration, those figures coming down, so I think that she's doing a fantastic job." And she insisted: "So there's no split story there, unfortunately."
Earlier criticism and collective responsibility
Earlier this year Ms Rayner, a former care worker, hit out at the proposals while a backbencher, describing the package as "un-British". Pressed on whether she had raised the issue with her colleague Ms Mahmood, Ms Rayner told the Times earlier this week: "I think Shabana knows. It was in the newspaper at the time. I have not changed my view on that.
"I just think when people relocate because we have skills shortages in this country, I think we have to be aware of that."
The Housing Secretary was also asked if collective responsibility - the idea that all Cabinet ministers show a united public front on Government policy - was dead as a result of her vocal opposition. She replied on Sunday: "No. The Prime Minister was really clear that we are going to do politics differently, and that means reaching out to other politicians as well and having that conversation.
"Our Home Secretary was really clear about that, and I think she's done a fantastic job."
The debate on migration is set to be among the big talking points of this year's conference. The Home Secretary has said her measures will bring order to the chaotic immigration and asylum system.
At the moment everyone who comes to the UK on a work visa is eligible after five years. Ms Mahmood wants to create an 'earned citizenship' model, extending the standard wait to 10 years - but with the option to reduce this through community work and volunteering.
Ms Mahmood argues people must abide by the rules at the point they apply for ILR, not when they entered the country. Due to the high numbers of people who came to the UK in the early 2020s, an estimated 1.9 million will be eligible by 2029 under current rules.
Lydia Kabute, a carer from Kenya who came to the UK in 2023, told The Mirror earlier this year: "Why shift the goalposts from five years to 15 years? Did we do something wrong? Covid had ravaged everything, it had messed everything up (in the care sector). We came to help and assist. Remember, you (the UK Government) told us to come and help and you gave us the conditions. But now the goal has been shifted."
In an interview with The Times this weekend, Ms Rayner agreed, saying: "Especially in regards to the carers, who were asked to come to this country to care for some of our most vulnerable and then we changed the goalposts years down the line, I think that's very disruptive."
In order to qualify for ILR under Ms Mahmood's proposals, an individual must speak English to degree level, have no criminal records and no debt to the government.
