Mahmood signals rethink on migrants right to remain

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has signalled she is willing to rethink plans to make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence in the UK.

In a speech to Labour's annual conference, Mahmood acknowledged "some have said elements of these reforms are not fair".

Permanent residence, or indefinite leave to remain, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible.

Earlier this year, when Rayner was a backbench MP, she accused the government of "moving the goalposts", branding Mahmood's plans "un-British" - and then stuck with her criticisms when she re-joined the cabinet.

Home Office sources insist no final decision on changes to the immigration rules have been taken, and Mahmood was setting out the principles that would guide her in her conference speech.

"Fair to those who seek a new and better life here, like my parents did, and fair to those already here, including British workers, and especially the young.

And she vowed to come up with a policy that was fair to those who "came here legally" and to British citizens.

"This is a slap in the face to British taxpayers who will have to subsidise low-skilled, low wage migrants."

Asked whether he was "Team Shabana" or "Team Angela," he told LBC: "I'm both of them, I'm Team Angela and Shabana.

Correction 1 October: This article originally said that under the proposals, people who arrived on health and social care visas would face a 15-year wait and this has been amended to clarify that some of those visa holders could wait up to 15 years.

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