Burnham fails to commit to bringing in Mahmood’s immigration reforms in full after cabinet backlash

Andy Burnham has stopped short of committing to bringing in all of the home secretary’s immigration reforms days after senior ministers failed to give it their full support.

While the prime minister said he strongly supports the idea that indefinite leave to remain is a “right to be earned”, he said that the government would “come forward with our decisions soon” following a consultation.

Speculation has mounted that proposals to extend the time before foreign workers can claim permanent residence in the UK could be watered down to avoid a Labour rebellion after criticism from senior MPs and cabinet ministers.

It comes after the energy secretary this week repeatedly refused to offer her explicit support to the controversial immigration reforms.

Under proposals unveiled in November 2025, there would be stricter minimum requirements for gaining indefinite leave to remain, while those who meet the requirements would face different qualifying periods depending on their circumstances.

Asked if he would commit to sticking to the plans, the prime minister said: “We’re in a position where we’ve been consulting on those reforms, and we will come forward with our decisions soon.

“But I strongly support the home secretary when she says that settlement is a right to be earned through contribution, and that will be the principle that guides our reforms.”

There has been a backlash within the party to the proposal to increase the five-year wait for claiming indefinite leave to remain by up to 10 years for foreign care workers.

Tensions in the cabinet over the policy surfaced when housing secretary Angela Rayner earlier this year publicly attacked the prospect of backdating the plans.

And this week, energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh hit out at any attempt to “prolong the time people have to wait for settlement” in a later-deleted online post.

On Thursday, Ms Fahnbulleh said she “fully” supports the home secretary’s immigration reforms, seeking to distance herself from a “light-hearted” remark she made to journalists earlier in the day.

She had said she pledged to “never lie” when she came into politics, which had created some “awkward moments” including an interview on Sky News in which she repeatedly refused to say whether she backed the plans.

Though ministers have denied a split in the cabinet, Ms Fahnbulleh appeared unable to specifically support Ms Mahmood’s changes to ILR.

Ms Fahnbulleh later posted on X: “Today I made what was meant to be a light-hearted self-deprecating remark.

“I didn’t get it right and it hasn’t come off as I intended. I fully support our home secretary and the government’s position on migration reform.

“As I said earlier this week, it’s absolutely right that people should have to make a contribution to this country in order to earn citizenship.”

Ms Rayner sought to downplay reports of a cabinet rift over the immigration proposals and insisted she has “full confidence” on Tuesday.

The housing secretary said she is sure her colleague will “land” on a policy that is fair to both taxpayers and migrants, following a consultation on the plans.