Labour's immigration debate lets over 200,000 migrants gain permanent settlement

More than 200,000 migrants have been awarded indefinite leave to remain in the UK since the Home Office proposed stricter settlement rules last year, entitling them to lifelong benefits, health care and housing. Weekly, at least 5,000 additional residents who have lived in Britain for five years obtain settlement, a figure expected to rise as pandemic-era arrivals become eligible. The proposal, originally intended to double the qualifying period to ten years, has been delayed by Labour infighting, with Angela Rayner and trade unions publicly resisting the changes.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has suggested a compromise, citing the need to balance fairness for legal migrants and British citizens. Opposition figures, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Reform UK spokesperson Zia Yusuf, accuse her of capitulating, while MigrationWatch UK estimates the total number of new ILR holders at around 225,000 in the past eleven months. The Home Office has yet to publish a response to the consultation that closed in February.