Mahmood to outline tougher stance on migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain
The Home Secretary will set out a series of conditions proposed by the Government at the Labour conference on Monday.
Migrants who want to remain in the UK will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community, the Home Secretary will say.
In her Labour Party conference speech on Monday, Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out a series of conditions for those seeking indefinite leave to remain status.
Asylum seekers will also need to be working, paying national insurance and not be claiming benefits, under the proposed changes.
Labour said there is a “dividing line” between the Government’s proposals and Reform UK’s pledge to scrap settled status for all non-EU migrants.
A consultation on the changes will be launched later this year.
In its White Paper published in May, the Government also pledged to increase the amount of time migrants have to wait before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK to 10 years.
Currently, most migrants who come to Britain on time-limited work visas can make an application for indefinite leave to remain after five years.
In her speech, Ms Mahmood is also expected to express her fears that “patriotism, a force for good, is turning into something smaller, something more like ethno-nationalism”.
Ms Mahmood will argue her toughness on secure borders, fair migration and safe streets are essential components of an “open, generous, tolerant” country.
She will also warn party members that “you won’t always like what I do”.
Ms Mahmood will speak about her parents’ experience of arriving in the UK, arguing the acceptance of migrants depends on their contribution to local communities.
Additionally, she is expected to refer to her personal experience of shoplifting while working behind the till of her family’s corner shop as a child.
The Home Secretary will launch a “winter of action” scheme in a bid to tackle shoplifting.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour was “playing catch-up” with Conservative proposals to toughen indefinite leave to remain rules.
But he said the plans were a “watered-down copy” of his party’s plans, which went further by pledging to also end automatic citizenship routes, put an annual cap on legal migration and not renew visas for the unemployed or those in low-paid jobs.
“This is the same Labour Government that scrapped the Rwanda deterrent and then lost control of our borders. Only the Conservatives have a detailed and deliverable plan in our Deportation Bill. That is how you restore control, not more gimmicks.”