Keir Starmer‘s immigration crackdown is under threat from Labour MPs demanding he lurches to the Left to save his premiership.
Dozens of backbenchers have signed a letter calling for the government to drop an ‘un-British’ overhaul of settlement rules.
The intervention – joined by the head of the UK’s biggest union – comes as the PM struggles to cling on after his Mandelson meltdown.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wants to extend the standard wait for indefinite leave to remain – meaning people can live and work in the UK and claim benefits – to 10 years.
The period could be 15 years for those arriving on health and social care visas, and people who relied on benefits for more than 12 months would need to wait 20 years.
Conditions such as having a clean criminal record and speaking English to A-level standard have been mooted, but migrants would be able to shorten the delay if they are high earners or contribute to crucial sectors.
The proposals are part of a wider bid by ministers to show they are getting tough on borders, amid the rising political threat from Reform.
Keir Starmer’s immigration crackdown is under threat from Labour MPs demanding he lurches to the Left to save his premiership
Ms Mahmood has defended the plans, saying the government must respond to ‘unprecedented’ levels of legal immigration
But the letter to Ms Mahmood, backed by 35 Labour MPs and Unison boss Andrea Egan among others, said: ‘The British public believe in fair play: that if you work hard, follow the rules and contribute, that government should tread lightly on your life.’
It added: ‘The proposals to change settlement rules would pull the rug from under migrant workers, including in social care who provide dignity and comfort to our loved ones, often in difficult conditions and for low pay.
‘The government must uphold its promises – we cannot simply change the rules halfway through an agreed process.’
The letter said the overhaul could push the social care sector to ‘breaking point’.
It demands the the government ‘immediately rules out applying new immigration rules to migrant families already in the UK’.
Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, who organised the letter, said: ‘These plans will divide communities and damage services. Ministers must think again.’
Ms Mahmood has defended the plans, saying the government must respond to ‘unprecedented’ levels of legal immigration.
Sir Keir’s weakness has opened the door for a host of MPs to push pet left-wing policies, such as a ‘wealth tax’, more generous benefits and nationalisation.
Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, who organised the letter, said: ‘These plans will divide communities and damage services. Ministers must think again.’
The PM endured more than 24 hours of deathly silence from the Cabinet in the wake of his chief aide’s resignation over the Mandelson scandal on Sunday.
Ministers only finally rallied round when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was about to demand publicly that he quit – with questions swirling about what concessions and deals Sir Keir might have made for his survival.
In a sign of a change in approach, the PM said on Tuesday that he was ‘proud’ to have the ‘most working-class Cabinet’ in history.