New Prime Minister Andy Burnham is reportedly scaling back stringent immigration reforms to appease his party’s left-wing backbenchers, according to internal reports.
The move comes amid mounting pressure from over 80 Labour MPs who have urged the Prime Minister to amend Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposed Immigration and Asylum Bill. Under the original plan, migrants would face a doubled waiting period to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)—from five to 10 years—with retrospective application for those already in the UK. This change aims to block millions of “Boriswave” migrants, who entered under former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s post-pandemic policies, from accessing welfare benefits.
Critics argue that the reforms, which would have restricted access to permanent residency similar to U.S. status for foreign nationals, risk alienating Labour’s progressive voter base. Reports indicate Burnham may exempt social care and health workers or shorten the ILR waiting period to avoid a rebellion within his own party.
“Immigration is listed by many pollsters as the issue British voters are most concerned about. Yet Burnham did not mention it once in his first speech. He talks about listening to the people. He’s only listening to his insane open borders backbench MPs,” commented Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s Shadow Home Secretary.
Analysts warn that scrapping these reforms could severely damage Labour’s credibility on immigration, as the British public overwhelmingly supports the proposed measures—including a significant portion of Labour voters. A rollback would leave “Boriswave” migrants in the country unimpeded, potentially triggering widespread cultural and economic disruption. Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has warned that Burnham’s government will shift Britain further to the left, resulting in higher taxes and uncontrolled immigration.
