Andy Burnham noted that while he personally desires to see the UK rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, he is not currently calling for a return to freedom of movement. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently defended altered settlement measures, revealing that approximately half a million workers and dependants expecting five-year settlement will be excluded. Mahmood did not dispute estimates that softening these rules from earlier drafts could carry an effective cost of £7.5 billion. She reaffirmed that Labour remains bound by its manifesto commitment against rejoining the single market.
Key points
Andy Burnham denied proposing a return to EU freedom of movement while calling for open d…: Andy Burnham denied proposing a return to EU freedom of movement while calling for open debate on post-Brexit immigration shifts.
Shabana Mahmood reiterated that Labour remains strictly committed to its manifesto pledge…: Shabana Mahmood reiterated that Labour remains strictly committed to its manifesto pledge ruling out single market membership before the next election.
The government faces criticism that easing its November settlement proposals represents a…: The government faces criticism that easing its November settlement proposals represents a costly policy reversal.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Good morning. In a Today programme interview broadcast this morning at 8.10am, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, ended by saying this about her plans to tighten the rules that determine when foreign workers and their dependants can get settlement.
As a result of these changes, roughly half a million people who were going to settle at five years are not now going to settle. So on any measure, these are still very significant changes.
She is right, as Libby Brooks explains in her First Edition briefing on the story this morning.
But that does not mean it has not been awkward for Mahmood, who recorded the Today interview, and other interviews, last night. Although her plans amount to a very significant tightening of the indefinite leave to remain (ILR) rules, they are notably less strict than the version she announced last November, which is why they are reasonably being described as a U-turn. In her interviews she had to make two significant concessions.
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Mahmood appeared to accept that her U-turn could cost billions. She insisted that, compared with doing…
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