Conservative criticism of Labour's immigration reforms is "a little rich" given their record in government, Mirror Political Editor Lizzy Buchan has said.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp attacked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this week when she unveiled a major overhaul of settlement rules for migrants. Under the plans, half a million people face longer waits for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), with the standard wait doubling from five years. High earners and NHS staff will be among those who can apply sooner.
Ms Mahmood also announced a carve-out for care workers, rowing back on controversial plans to make them wait up to 15 years to qualify. Mr Philp accused her of a humiliating U-turn, claiming she had bowed to pressure from within her party.
Tory record under scrutiny
Speaking to the Mirror's Nicola Thorp on the Sense Check show, Ms Buchan said it was difficult for the Tories to attack Labour after their record in government on immigration. Net migration surged after Brexit, peaking at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023, a period dubbed the "Boris wave" by critics.
Ms Buchan said: "The Conservatives were in charge when so many people came over. As was Chris Philp. I think it's quite hard for the Conservatives to really land blows with those kinds of attacks considering they not only allowed lots of people to come here legally during those years when Boris Johnson was PM and after, but also they allowed the asylum system to get out of control.
"They started housing people in hotels. They're responsible for so much of that. So I think it's a little rich of him to say that. And actually... these reforms are really tough. [They are] far more hard line than anything the Conservatives did."
Mr Philp authorised the use of asylum hotels as an immigration minister during the pandemic, a practice that ramped up under the Tories. Labour has pledged to end their use by the end of this Parliament.
Reform UK's response
Nigel Farage was absent from the Commons when Ms Mahmood delivered her statement on Monday, instead holding an "emergency" press conference outside Parliament.
Asked about Reform's response, Ms Buchan said: "It's a bit of a tricky one for Reform in a way because they want to get rid of ILR completely and replace it with, I think, rolling sort of five-year visas. But the plans are quite tough, and so it's not that easy for him to come at Shabana Mahmood... So I think it's quite tricky for them."
She added: "Actually, that's part of why Labour's doing it, really. It takes some of the air out of what Reform are trying to argue about Britain's immigration system being totally out of control. The Government are trying to bring it under control and therefore starve Farage and his gang of that argument and that ability to kind of whip people up."
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