ANGELA RAYNER has criticised government proposals to make it harder for migrants in the UK to settle permanently, calling the plans “un-British” and a “breach of trust”.
Ministers are considering extending the time required for most migrant workers to qualify for settlement from five years to 10 years, with refugees potentially waiting up to 20 years. The proposals are part of wider immigration reforms led by home secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Speaking to the Mainstream group, according to the BBC, Rayner said some people now “fear for their future” due to the prospect of the government “moving the goalposts”. She said: “We cannot talk about earning a settlement if we keep moving the goalposts. Because moving the goalposts undermines our sense of fair play. It's un-British.”
She added: “The people already in the system, who made a huge investment, now fear for their future - they do not have stability and do not know what will happen.”
Rayner also warned Labour “cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline” and said: “We’re running out of time.” She said the party must show it can “make the system work for working people” while not “ripping up a deal halfway through”.
Some Labour MPs have raised concerns about the proposals. Mahmood has defended the changes, saying they are “fair” and needed to avoid a “drain on our public finances”. She has also said settlement is a “privilege not a right” and that “at five years that's actually quite a short period”.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government will double the route to settlement from five to 10 years.”
