Energy secretary criticises government's migrant settlement plan

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 19:19 · Archive

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has criticised Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's proposal to extend the time migrants must wait for permanent settlement in the UK. In a post on her Peckham constituency website in September, now removed, Fahnbulleh wrote: 'If we continually prolong the time people have to wait for settlement, we can also prolong the process of building cohesion.' Her office subsequently said the remarks had been paraphrased and did not represent her true views.

The government proposes increasing the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five years to ten years, though some professions, including care workers, may receive concessions. Refugees would face a pathway extended to up to 20 years with reviews every 30 months. Home Secretary Mahmood has argued that extending these periods is necessary to prevent 'a £10 billion drain on public finances' as migrants gain full access to benefits and social housing after securing permanent status.

This marks a second cabinet division over the policy. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner previously described the proposals as 'un-British' and 'wrong', citing concerns about care staff who had moved to the UK to work. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated his commitment to the bulk of the changes, and the government is yet to publish its final response to the consultation.

How it is being reported

• Now Energy Secretary attacks her own Government's plan to make migrants wait longer to win permanent status in BritainEnergy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, seen as a rising star within the Labour Government, attacked the Home Office's proposals to make immigrants wait years longer for 'settled' status.Daily Mail · 19 Oct, 18:59
• Minister says Mahmood’s migration policy will ‘prolong integration’In now-removed post, Miatta Fahnbulleh criticised home secretary’s proposal to extend qualifying period for settlement in UK The energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, appears to have criticised Shabana Mahmood’s migration policy in a post on her constituency website, in which she suggested she had concerns that a longer settlement process could affect integration. Fahnbulleh has since removed the critique, which appeared in a write-up of a community meeting in Peckham, her south London constituency, in September, saying it was not a true representation of her views. Continue reading...Guardian World · 19 Oct, 18:35

In this story: Miatta Fahnbulleh · Shabana Mahmood · Angela Rayner · Andy Burnham · Peckham · UK

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