Labour MPs threaten vote to show opposition to Mahmood's migration plans

Labour MPs opposed to the government's immigration reforms are threatening to expose the party's divisions by forcing a symbolic vote in Parliament unless ministers back down.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood plans to double the length of time that it will take for migrants to gain indefinite leave to remain (ILR) – or permanent residency - in the UK in most cases from five to 10 years.

Care workers and refugees would have to wait longer.

The Home Office has said these changes do not require legislation – and therefore would not need to be put to a vote - but opponents are considering using parliamentary procedure to force a non-binding vote to highlight their concerns.

Settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible.

The Home Office has said its figures show net migration added 2.6 million people to the UK population between 2021 and 2024, and around 1.6m people could settle in the UK between 2026 and 2030.

On Wednesday, Downing Street sources highlighted the possibility of introducing "transitional arrangements" which could potentially reduce the 10-year wait for some existing migrants.

The Home Office has had 200,000 responses to its consultation on the reforms and is still considering how to apply the changes to those already in the UK.

But the Folkestone MP Tony Vaughan, who sent a letter signed by 100 colleagues to the home secretary expressing opposition to the changes, told the BBC that transitional arrangements would not be enough to overcome objections.

He said the MPs' concerns were more "fundamental" and the government should not proceed with any of the rule changes to ILR.

Labour MPs have so far been expressing concerns about the changes privately.

One said that it was wrong to "renege on promises" by making people who "uprooted their lives to come here" to wait longer for permanent residency.

Another said their opposition was "non-negotiable" and the reforms needed to be "binned" rather than mitigated.

A former minister said the issue had come up in some communities in the Gorton and Denton by-election, which Labour lost last month.

A long-standing critic said "it is better to cringe and do a U-turn than do the wrong thing".

There was support for some of the home secretary's changes, such as new safe and legal routes, but the MPs were keen to see the details.

But the ILR changes provoked the most ire.

Multiple sources have told the BBC that they intend to invoke little-used parliamentary procedures to force a vote in the coming months.

The BBC understands there is likely to be a debate on the changes in the Lords, too.

But parliamentary votes would only be symbolic, and would not be binding on the government.

However, the MPs opposed to the ILR changes believe the mere prospect of a vote could still provide a valuable weapon.

As one of them explained, it would highlight divisions on a politically toxic issue for Labour unless ministers back down.

The home secretary has consistently argued that the changes are necessary both to restore trust in the immigration system and to tackle the consequences of high levels of net migration in recent years.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The privilege of living here forever should be earned not automatic.

"We must be honest about the scale and impact of hundreds of thousands of low skilled migrants getting settlement rights."

The Conservatives believe the changes should go further but have suggested they could back the ILR reforms.

And while as many as one in four Labour MPs have concerns, others would be worried if the government did back down.

An MP facing an electoral threat from Reform UK said if ministers backtrack "my seat will never be Labour again".

They added: "I have seen the polling and the immigration policies are popular. Some people will never vote Labour unless we get a grip."

Another long-standing Labour stalwart told me: "The Left are always telling us we need to be bold. Well, Shabana [Mahmood] is bold on immigration – and they don't like it. They don't get out enough - they are deluded if they think the changes are unpopular."