Keir Starmer was wobbling over immigration on Wednesday night after Angela Rayner attacked ‘un-British’ plans for a crackdown.
In a speech widely seen as laying the ground for a leadership bid, Ms Rayner savaged the Government’s plans to double the time migrants have to wait before being granted indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years.
Controversially, the plans would apply retrospectively to migrants already here – affecting 2.2million people who have arrived since 2021.
Former deputy PM Ms Rayner said the proposal championed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood amounted to ‘moving the goalposts’, saying it ‘undermines our sense of fair play. It’s un-British’.
Allies of Ms Mahmood on Wednesday said she was committed to the plan, which is due to be introduced this year.
But Downing Street opened the door to a climbdown, saying it was looking at ‘transitional arrangements’ that could allow some recent migrants to wait much less than ten years if they have contributed to the economy and society.
Any bid to water down the plans could cost the taxpayer billions in higher welfare payments.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the Conservatives were ready to vote with the Government if the Prime Minister was willing to face down Ms Rayner and his MPs. ‘Although we would go further, these changes are a step in the right direction,’ he said.
Keir Starmer was wobbling over immigration on Wednesday night after Angela RAyner attacked ‘un-British’ plans for a crackdown
In a speech widely seen as laying the ground for a leadership bid, Ms Rayner savaged the Government’s migration plans
‘If Keir Starmer is too weak to get his backbenchers to vote for his own policy, he can rely on our votes to get this through parliament.
‘If Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood water down these plans it will show they are too weak to protect our country’s borders – because they are scared of Angela Rayner and their own backbenchers.’
Reform’s Robert Jenrick said: ‘Angela Rayner has fired the starting gun on yet another rebellion that will end in defeat for the Government. Starmer’s weakness will cost the taxpayer tens of billions of pounds.’
Allies of Ms Mahmood were on Wednesday circulating polling showing that the immigration crackdown is popular with voters.
A More in Common survey found Labour voters back the proposal by a margin of 59 per cent to 18 per cent.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said a consultation was under way on the retrospective element of the plans.
