Angela Rayner, Labour’s shadow chancellor and former deputy prime minister, defended her criticism of Home Office reforms that would make it harder for foreign care workers to claim permanent residence in the UK, describing the policy as “disruptive.” The plan, announced by Shabana Mahmood last year, requires low-paid migrants to reside in the country for 15 years before applying for settlement. More than 100 Labour MPs and many trade unions oppose the changes, with some suggesting exemptions for existing workers already in the UK.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Andy Burnham, recently appointed as Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, pledged to set the UK on a "new course" a decade after the Brexit vote. At the Labour conference in Liverpool, he emphasized the need to draw a line under the last 10 years marked by drift and division, aiming to foster hope for improvement. Burnham said his vision would leave people with renewed confidence that life will get better. He also acknowledged the impact of social issues like child poverty and promised progress on these fronts. Despite challenges, including potential disputes over Israel policy, Labour's feel-good factor has improved significantly since last year. The conference, along with upcoming government initiatives, aims to set out Burnham’s vision for a more stable Britain.
Written for “UK Labour Party Conference” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 26 other(s) covering the same event.
Angela Rayner has stood by her criticism of Home Office reforms that would make it harder for foreign care workers to claim permanent residence in the UK, describing them as “disruptive”.
uncertain
workers → stand → them
Last year, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, announced that low paid migrants on jobs below graduate level would have to be in the country for 15 years before applying for settlement.
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migrants → announce → settlement
Rayner previously attacked the plans as being “un-British”.
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Rayner → attack → plans
The policy was devised under the previous prime minister, Keir Starmer, to ease voter concerns about net migration numbers.
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policy → devise → numbers
Andy Burnham, who succeeded Starmer in July, is understood to be uneasy about aspects of the proposals and is considering exempting workers who have already moved to the UK.
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who → succeed → UK
Hinting at a potential schism in the cabinet in the run-up to Burnham’s first Labour conference as leader, Rayner said the changes would unfairly penalise staff who had “moved their lives here to look after our loved ones”.
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who → hint → ones
The housing secretary, herself a former care worker who left school at 16, had been critical of the plans before she rejoined the cabinet.
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she → leave → cabinet
She was forced to resign as deputy prime minister last year amid a row over unpaid stamp duty on a flat she had bought in Hove.
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she → force → Hove
In an interview with the Times, she said: “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.
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that → say → line
“I do have concerns about that … when you ask someone to come here and look after your most vulnerable and they spend years dedicating themselves, moving their lives here to look after our loved ones.
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they → have → ones
The policy has not yet been finalised, with government officials considering responses to a consultation on the issue.
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officials → finalise → issue
About 180,000 foreign care workers came to Britain between 2022 and 2024, mainly under previous Conservative governments.
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workers → come → governments
Without a law change, many will qualify for permanent residency in 2027.
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many → qualify → 2027
Last year, the Labour government moved to stop the recruitment of care workers from abroad and also placed restrictions on them bringing family members into the country.
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them → move → country
The backbench Labour MP Rachael Maskell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she believed Mahmood’s plans would be altered, so they would not apply retrospectively to those already working in the UK.
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they → tell → UK
Rayner added that she believed the home secretary was aware of her stance on the proposals.
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secretary → add → proposals
“I think Shabana knows,” she said.
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she → think → ?
I’ve not changed my view on that.
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I → change → that
I just think when people relocate because we have skills shortages in this country, I think we have to be aware of that.”
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we → think → that
Appearing at the home affairs select committee earlier this week, Mahmood said the government would make a decision on the plans imminently.
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government → appear → plans
She said: “I accept that there are a lot of people wondering what rules will apply to them.
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rules → say → them
It is right that the government has taken time to look at consultation responses properly.
“
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government → take → responses
I can assure people we are trying to do a proper piece of work, where we have the right arrangements that strike the right balance between our responsibilities to people who have come here to work, our recognition of the failures we inherited as a government and also our need to do right by the people who are already here and who pay for the systems that we all rely on.”
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we → assure → that
The Aporia
