LABOUR MPs are considering forcing a symbolic vote in Parliament to show opposition to home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s immigration reforms.
The move comes as some MPs warn the plans could expose divisions within the party, the BBC reported.
Mahmood has proposed increasing the time required for migrants to gain indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to 10 years in most cases. Care workers and refugees would also face longer waits. The Home Office has said the changes do not require legislation, meaning no formal vote is needed, but MPs are exploring parliamentary procedures to trigger a non-binding vote.
Settlement, or ILR, allows a person to live, work and study in the UK without time limits, and to access benefits if eligible. Home Office figures show net migration added 2.6 million people to the UK population between 2021 and 2024, with about 1.6 million expected to qualify for settlement between 2026 and 2030.
Mahmood’s plan to apply the rules to migrants already in the UK was criticised by former deputy leader Angela Rayner as “un-British”. Downing Street has indicated possible “transitional arrangements”, though Folkestone and Hythe MP Tony Vaughan said these would be a “sticking plaster on a scheme that was flawed from the beginning”.
He told the BBC: “If people can get settlement in five years - as they can in major EU economies, as they can in Canada and Australia - why would they come here. That is not going to help the British public.”
Some MPs said it was wrong to “renege on promises”, while another called their opposition “non-negotiable” and said the reforms should be “binned”. One critic said “it is better to cringe and do a U-turn than do the wrong thing”.
The Home Office defended the policy. A spokesman said: “The privilege of living here forever should be earned not automatic. We must be honest about the scale and impact of hundreds of thousands of low-skilled migrants getting settlement rights.”
The Conservatives have indicated support for tougher measures, while the Liberal Democrats oppose the plans and Reform UK says it would abolish ILR.
