Mahmood's plan: 15 years to permanent residency

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is consulting on plans to increase the period before foreign workers can claim indefinite leave to remain from five to fifteen years, backdated to apply to anyone arriving from two thousand…

Mahmood hints at exempting care workers

Mahmood has previously hinted that her plan could be watered down by exempting care workers from the new rule, though reports on Tuesday suggested she was holding firm against making changes.

Prime minister backs Mahmood, reports say

A senior ally told the Times that Mahmood had the prime minister's support, saying Andy Burnham had been on her side throughout the row over indefinite leave to remain and was holding the line.

“Andy has been on Shabana's side throughout this row over ILR. He is holding the line.”

Energy secretary refuses to back the plan

On Wednesday, Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, repeatedly refused to back the specific plans to make foreign workers wait fifteen years to claim permanent residency in the UK.

Fahnbulleh's concern: prolonging settlement waits

Fahnbulleh appeared to criticise the plans on her Peckham constituency website, saying: if we continually prolong the time people have to wait for settlement, we can also prolong the process of building cohesion.

“If we continually prolong the time people have to wait for settlement, we can also prolong the process of building cohesion.”

Wider Labour opposition to the policy

Housing secretary Angela Rayner has publicly criticised the plans, and dozens of Labour MPs oppose the changes. Mike Tapp, a former immigration minister, urged Mahmood to read the room on the strength of feeling.

“It's important we do the right thing. If people have come to the country and genuinely worked in the sector, they shouldn't be punished and should have the right to apply for settlement after five years as they expected.”

MPs hope to convince Burnham on care workers

MPs campaigning for changes believe they have a chance of convincing Andy Burnham to exempt care workers, given reforming adult social care is an issue close to his heart.

No 10 declines to rule out watering down

Number ten stressed on Wednesday that Mahmood was carefully considering more than two hundred thousand responses to a consultation before finalising the reforms.

Fahnbulleh backs reform but avoids specifics

In her Sky News interview, Fahnbulleh repeatedly avoided questions on the fifteen-year wait, saying she supported reforms based on compassion and contribution but would not comment on specific parts of the policy under review.

“We have got to reform our immigration system, and my view is that we need a system that is based on the principle of compassion, contribution.”