Mahmood to demand migrants earn right to settled status

In her address to the Labour conference, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will outline a series of new conditions for migrants to qualify for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. To be eligible for permanent settlement status, legal migrants will have to demonstrate that they are contributing to society, including learning English to a high level, having a clean criminal record, and performing community service.

Currently, migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, which grants them the freedom to live, study, and work in the UK permanently. Labour intends to double the time it takes to obtain this status from five to ten years. A consultation on this change was launched in May as part of a package of measures to reduce immigration.

Reform UK, however, proposes to abolish indefinite leave to remain altogether, replacing it with visas that require migrants, including non-EU nationals, to reapply every five years. Labour argues that this policy would force employees who have been contributing to the country for decades to leave their homes and families.

In a BBC interview on Sunday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called Reform UK's strategy "racist" and "immoral." On Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed his remarks, stating that while those living in the UK illegally "should be sent home," it is "quite a different thing" to deport those living and working in the UK legally. She added, "Those policies are racial, and we will call them out."

In response, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told the Daily Express that Labour "do not believe in border control" and that the Prime Minister's remarks were a "desperate assault." Reform UK's policy chief, Zia Yusuf, said that people have "fully legitimate concerns about immigration" and "are intelligent enough to know if someone is voting for a policy that Starmer calls racist." He also stated that "the UK should not fund healthcare and welfare for foreign nationals."

Ministers are keen for migrants to show they have integrated into the UK to qualify for settlement status. This would include meeting conditions such as making National Insurance contributions, not receiving any benefits payments, and "giving back to their families." According to Labour, some foreign nationals could receive a quicker settlement based on their service or expertise.

The fight against Reform UK, which is currently leading in national opinion polls, is a major theme of the Labour conference. Mahmood is also expected to say that patriotism "is shrinking into something smaller, something more like ethno-nationalism." She will argue that "fair migration and strong borders are integral to an open, generous, tolerant world" and will tell party members, "You won't necessarily like what I do." However, she will also warn that if the Labour government does not succeed, "working people will turn away from us and seek solace in the false promises" of Nigel Farage's party.

Mahmood will also discuss her parents' arrival in the United Kingdom and her belief that the acceptance of migrants is conditional on their service to local communities. She will talk about how she was a victim of shoplifting while working behind the counter of her family's corner store as a child and why she is determined to crack down on theft. To combat shoplifting, the Home Secretary will introduce a "winter of action" programme, which will require police forces from around the country to work in partnership with local businesses.

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