Cabinet minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has repeatedly refused to say she backed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plans to extend the time before foreign workers can claim permanent residence in the UK.
The Energy Secretary said reform of the immigration system was needed, and that it should be “based on the principle of compassion” and recognising contribution.
But she avoided explicitly expressing her support for Ms Mahmood’s plans to lengthen the qualifying period for settlement in the UK to 15 years.
Speculation has mounted that proposals to increase the five-year wait for claiming indefinite leave to remain by up to 10 years for foreign care workers could be watered down to avoid a Labour rebellion after criticism from senior MPs.
Tensions in the Cabinet over the policy surfaced when Housing Secretary Angela Rayner earlier this year publicly attacked the prospect of backdating the plans.
And news emerged this week that Ms Fahnbulleh hit out at any attempt to “prolong the time people have to wait for settlement” in a later-deleted online post.
Challenged over her stance on Wednesday, the Energy Secretary declined to say she was behind the plan to increase to 15 years the time foreign workers would have to live in Britain before they could be granted settled status.
Asked repeatedly about that specific part of the policy, Ms Fahnbulleh told Sky News: “We have got to reform our immigration system, and my view is that we need a system that is based on the principle of compassion, contribution.
“And so there is a package of reforms. The Home Secretary has been consulting on this. She’s looking at the range of responses, and she will come out with the measures that we take forward.
“No-one can look at our immigration system – and I say this as someone that came to this country as a refugee – and not believe that it’s broken and not believe that we need to fundamentally reform it.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s migration plans have faced public criticism from Cabinet colleagues (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
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“But our principles has to be a system where we’ve got control, but ultimately a system that when people do come to this country, they are able to integrate, they are able to contribute, and that we both respect but also value that contribution.”
She also said: “I support reforms that says that people have to contribute and make a contribution to this country in order to get citizenship”, and: “I 100% back Shabana Mahmood and everything she is trying to do,” but evaded multiple questions on the prospect of a 15-year wait.
When it was put to her that she did not back that specific proposal, Ms Fahnbulleh said: “Don’t … put words in my mouth.”
A Government source pointed out that “the minister clearly supported the policy and process” in her interviews, “but while subject to review of the consultation, the final policy is not set – so ministers cannot offer opinions on specific parts of it”.
Ms Rayner on Tuesday sought to downplay reports of a Cabinet rift over Ms Mahmood’s immigration plans, saying she was is sure her colleague would “land” on a policy that was fair to both taxpayers and migrants following a consultation.
A Government spokesperson said: “This Government has announced reforms that mean settlement must be earned and not automatic.
“We are currently considering responses to our consultation on elements of these reforms.”