Andy Burnham has sent a signal to Labour MPs over immigration reforms after he pledged to vote in favour of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s controversial migration crackdown.
The decision to back the reforms comes despite scores of Labour MPs privately urging the prime minister-in-waiting to “pause” the proposals and rethink the legislation.
As revealed by The i Paper, nearly 80 Labour MPs signed a letter calling on Burnham to change course when it came to the Government’s overhaul of immigration rules.
But in a show of intent from the incoming leader of the Labour Party, he has pledged to vote through the Immigration and Asylum Bill at second reading on Monday evening.
A spokeswoman for Burnham said: “Andy believes the public deserve an asylum system that is both compassionate and credible.
“This Bill takes important steps towards restoring confidence by tackling illegal crossings while strengthening safe and legal routes for genuine refugees. This is about ensuring the system is fair both to those seeking protection and to the communities that welcome them.”
Concerns over leave to remain status
The legislation will seek to provide greater clarity to courts on how they should apply article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in deportation cases, due to concerns within government that it is being abused.
The bill will also seek to streamline asylum tribunals by scrapping the courts system and replacing it with an appeals body.
His decision to back the bill comes after Labour MPs raised concerns over the Government’s decision to change settlement rights for migrants into the UK, including those who have been in the country for several years.
Under reforms being introduced by the Home Secretary, immigrants into the UK will be forced to wait twice as long to achieve indefinite leave to remain (ILR) status, with the period due to increase from five years to 10 years.
Most controversially, the new rules will be applied retrospectively, meaning those who have already been here for a number of years will now have to wait longer to be given settled status.
Mahmood has launched a consultation looking at introducing possible transitional arrangements to ease the impact of the new settlement rules, including allowing those who arrived in 2021 to be granted ILR after five years, not 10.
As part of the plans, those granted the right to settle sooner would have to wait for a longer period before they are allowed to claim any benefits.
Labour MPs opposed to the changes have said they want the Government to go further and provide greater concessions or risk a rebellion against the reforms. Government sources were expecting only a handful of the “usual suspects” to oppose the bill at second reading.
However, the changes to ILR do not require legislation, with the reforms to settlement rights expected to be made in the autumn.
UK would be an ‘international outlier’
In their letter to Burnham, the immigration rebels warned the proposals to increase the wait to secure ILR up to 20 years in some cases would leave the UK as an “international outlier”, adding it would weaken the UK’s “soft power and our appeal as a place to study, invest, build a life and form relationships”.
It added: “This kind of policy making is anathema to who we are, what we stand for and how we should do politics.”
While the letter last week stopped short of calling for Mahmood to be sacked by Burnham when he appoints his new Cabinet, several MPs believe a change of direction on the immigration reforms would force the Home Secretary out of her job.
The prospective prime minister faces a dilemma over immigration, with a significant section of his backbenchers opposed to the reforms, while those in Reform and Tory facing seats, such as his own in Makerfield, are supportive of the changes.
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