Labour MPs pull their punches on immigration changes

Today's announcement has long been viewed in government as a potential political banana skin.

When the home secretary announced her first version of changes to the settlement system last year, many Labour MPs, including the housing secretary Angela Rayner, voiced their concerns about the plans.

But there was a feeling that Sir Keir Starmer's government was determined to plough on regardless. Shabana Mahmood herself repeatedly expressed how important she believed the reforms were.

But the change of prime minister over the summer gave renewed hope to those unhappy Labour MPs that they could force the Home Office into two changes.

Firstly, social care workers – under the original plans many social care workers would have had to wait 15 years before becoming eligible for settlement.

Secondly, the retrospective nature of the plans – some MPs were uncomfortable at the idea of someone coming to the UK and expecting to be eligible for settlement after five years, but then having to wait longer.

Angela Rayner described that as "un-British" and said the government shouldn't be shifting "the goalposts".

She returned to the cabinet under Andy Burnham as housing secretary and chose to repeat those criticisms in an interview during the Labour Party conference in September.