Rayner told Times Radio:
“The consultation that Shabana did in terms of retrospective action was about putting fairness in the system. I’m confident that Shabana will land in a place that is fair to the taxpayers, fair to people who come to this country, who contribute, who have been asked to come to this country and contribute. And there was a consultation and Shabana will set out her plans. And she has my full confidence in that. You can see by Shabana’s record that people have not been able to tackle this issue for years. The last Conservative government didn’t tackle the issue. Shabana is completely tackling the issue and she’s doing a fantastic job.”
Rayner issued an attack on Mahmood’s retroactive reforms to indefinite leave to remain before Labour Conference, during which the Home Secretary said she would U-turn on its substantive elements. Now she’s gloating…
Shabana Mahmood told the Rest Is Politics podcast:
“It really bothers me when people break collective responsibility, even if they’ve said out loud a thing that I might think in my heart because I think it breaks the rules of the game. And I think there’s a value in making an argument from the inside as well.”
Mahmood also hit out at other government colleagues for asking for visas to be granted in numerous special cases, like wanting “ten welders.” There was a time when Rayner’s pre-Conference intervention would be a sackable offence – now the PM just says he’s on ‘both teams’…
The Home Office is hiring a new deportations chief after losing one in less than two years. All is not well in His Majesty’s Home Department…
The department wants a new head of the National Returns Progression Command (NRPC), whose role is to “maximise the return of immigration offenders (illegal entrants, overstayers, failed asylum seekers) whilst ensuring individuals are dealt with in a dignified manner, utilising a strong set of safeguards to identify and manage vulnerabilities.” It has 500 staff and a budget of £22 million…
The returns chief is responsible for leading detained returns, detained asylum casework, non-detained case progression, and third country returns. Non-detained cases mean “ensuring the progression of individuals without permission to stay in the UK to an appropriate conclusion, either by removing barriers to return or by signposting to other parts of the Home Office to regularise their status.” It’s a mess…
The government last hired for the role in November 2024 which means there is high churn in this crucial area for Home Office immigration policy. Not good…
Since then the high-churn Home Office has also increased the salary by £10,000 (above inflation) from £86,000 to £96,000 and last week the deal to return small boat illegal migrants by plane to France collapsed. Is Shabana getting desperate?
In Mahmood’s short speech to Labour Conference:
“I know that, throughout our consultation process, some have said elements of these reforms are not fair…
To that: let me say this. We will come to a position that balances fairness for those who came here legally, and fairness to British citizens across this country.”
Angela Rayner attacked Mahmood’s retroactive earned settlement reforms going into Conference. Looks like the Housing Secretary won…
This comes at the same time as the Home Secretary announces a new route for charities and non-profit organisations to sponsor Palestinian and Afghan migrants to come to the UK. Does the joke about Italian tanks now apply to Burnham’s Labour Party…
Read her full speech below:
Continue reading “Mahmood Suggests Immigration Reforms Will Be Watered Down”
Shabana Mahmood is drawing up a Rwanda-style scheme to remove failed asylum seekers to third countries, two years after Labour scrapped the actual Rwanda plan on the grounds that it was “a gimmick“. It turns out ‘smashing the gangs’ wasn’t a deterrent after all…
Mahmood said in an interview with the Sun:
“We are also looking at third-country hubs, returns hubs models. These are live conversations that are happening across Europe, but in other parts of the world as well… The most important thing I think in any deal that we strike now or in the future is about its effectiveness. Is it actually going to be able to do the thing that it says it’s going to do? Can it do so in a way that is compliant legally as well?…”
No deal has been announced yet. Separately Mahmood promised a “fairer spread” of asylum accommodation across the UK, echoing Burnham’s ominous comments last week. Coming to a village like yours soon…
Andy Burnham has reprimanded Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood for their remarks in the video Guido published last night. He was asked if the comments were acceptable:
“No, it’s not, and certainly that’s been acknowledged, and apologies have been made.”
Week one going as expected…
Mail commentator Dan Hodges – who was kind to Burnham during the Makerfield campaign – now concludes: “The truth is Andy Burnham doesn’t have a 10 year plan. He’s barely got a 10 week plan.“