Labour’s migration crackdown has triggered fresh tensions within the Cabinet, with Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh joining Housing Secretary Angela Rayner in warning that tougher settlement rules risk undermining social cohesion.
Ms Fahnbulleh, who replaced Ed Miliband following his promotion to Foreign Secretary, criticised proposals to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain, warning that the changes threatened the “process of building cohesion”.
In a message to constituents in Peckham, she urged a more measured debate on immigration, saying: “We need to raise the level of the debate, challenge divisive political rhetoric and make the case for communities like the one we have in Peckham.”
“That means talking about immigration with care, control and compassion,” she added.
The remarks appeared in minutes of a town hall meeting held on September 25, published by Ms Fahnbulleh’s team on her behalf. They nevertheless place another senior Labour figure at odds with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s drive to tighten the rules governing migrants’ routes to permanent settlement.
Ms Rayner has also challenged the approach, warning last month that changing the rules for workers who had already come to Britain could prove deeply disruptive.
“Especially in regards to the carers, who were asked to come to this country to care for some of our most vulnerable and then we changed the goalposts years down the line, I think that’s very disruptive,” she told The Times.
The interventions expose a difficult balancing act for Labour whilst demonstrating control over immigration while maintaining confidence among migrant communities and employers who depend on overseas workers.
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