Shabana Mahmood's migrant visa plan is flawed, says Angela Rayner
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By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
Angela Rayner has blasted Shabana Mahmood's plan to make it more difficult for foreign workers to claim permanent residence.
The Housing Secretary said the Home Office plans would 'change the goalposts' for foreigners who had 'moved their lives here to look after our loved ones'.
Her comments referred to workers who come from overseas to staff UK care homes.
Andy Burnham is also reportedly opposed to the Home Secretary's plan and it has been suggested he is considering an exemption for foreign care sector staff already in the UK.
At least 100 Labour MPs are also against Ms Mahmood's crackdown, alongside trade unions.
Friction over the policy is likely to be a significant and controversial problem at Mr Burnham's first Labour conference as party leader this weekend.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's migrant visa plan is flawed
Ms Rayner told The Times: 'Especially in regards to the carers, who were asked to come to this country to care for some of our most vulnerable and then we changed the goalposts years down the line, I think that's very disruptive.
'I do have concerns about that … when you ask someone to come here and look after your most vulnerable and they spend years dedicating themselves, moving their lives here to look after our loved ones.'
When the Housing Secretary was asked about whether she had raised her opposition with Ms Mahmood personally, Ms Rayner said: 'I think Shabana knows. It was in the newspaper at the time. I've not changed my view on that.'
Between 2022 and 2024, 185,000 foreign care sector staff were recruited from abroad, but the Government put a stop to this last year to try to bring down net migration.
It came as Mr Burnham blamed Brexit for the failure to stop Channel migrant boats reaching Britain.
The Prime Minister said the UK's decision to leave the EU had led to a 'loss of collaboration with neighbours' on migration as he faced criticism over a recent wave of arrivals.
The stance puts him at odds with Ms Mahmood, who in February said Brexit was not to blame for the boats.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called Mr Burnham's position 'nonsense' and accused him of 'gaslighting us all to hide his own failures'.
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