Rayner warns government immigration plan is 'un-British'
Mar 18th 2026
Labour MP Angela Rayner condemned government plans to lengthen the wait for indefinite leave to remain, calling the move un-British, while the Home Secretary argues the changes are needed and fair.
- Government proposes extending the standard wait for settlement from five years to 10 years and potentially up to 20 years for some refugees.
- Angela Rayner said changing the rules for migrants already in the system is a breach of trust and undermines fair play.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood defended the reforms as fair and said settlement is a privilege not a right.
- The proposed changes would not apply to people who already have indefinite leave to remain.
- The Home Office says net migration added 2.6 million people to the UK population between 2021 and 2024.
- The department forecast that around 1.6 million people could settle between 2026 and 2030 under current patterns of migration.
- Rayner framed her intervention as part of a wider Labour debate about policy direction after recent electoral setbacks and warned the party's survival is at stake.
Articles
- Rayner says government is running out of time to deliver reforms people want www.theguardian.com
- Rayner warns immigration reforms risk being 'un-British' www.bbc.com
- Rayner warns Starmer his government is ‘running out of time’ www.ft.com
- Starmer mulls compromise on migration reforms after backlash from MPs www.politico.eu
- Starmer plans to ease impact of immigration policy changes after backlash from Labour MPs www.theguardian.com