Shabana Mahmood pledges stricter indefinite leave to remain requirements as Labour draws battle lines with Reform UK over migration policy
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled sweeping changes to Britain’s immigration system, declaring she will do “whatever it takes” to secure the nation’s borders whilst introducing tougher conditions for migrants seeking permanent settlement.
In her first Labour Party conference speech as Home Secretary in Liverpool, Mahmood outlined plans to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five years to ten years, alongside a series of new contribution-based tests that migrants must meet. The announcement marks a significant shift in Labour’s immigration stance as the party seeks to counter the growing electoral threat from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Under the proposed changes, legal migrants will need to demonstrate English proficiency to a high standard, maintain a clean criminal record, be in employment, make National Insurance contributions, avoid claiming any benefits, and prove they have given back to their communities through volunteering.
“Today the boats continue to arrive so I will do whatever it takes to secure our borders, cracking down on the criminal gangs behind the trade,” Mahmood told delegates. “In solving this crisis, you may not always like what I do. We will have to question some of the assumptions and legal constraints that have lasted for a generation and more.”
Drawing the Battle Lines
The policy announcement comes just days after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage pledged to abolish indefinite leave to remain entirely, forcing migrants to reapply for visas every five years. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer branded Reform’s proposal as “racist” and “immoral”, warning it would affect hundreds of thousands of people who have legally settled in Britain.
“Without meeting these conditions, I do not believe your ability to stay in this country should be automatic,” Mahmood stated. “Some will be able to earn an earlier settlement than 10 years, based on their contribution, while others will be forced to wait longer if they are not contributing enough. In some cases, they will be barred from indefinite leave to remain entirely.”
The Home Secretary’s tough rhetoric appears designed to appeal to voters concerned about immigration levels. Recent polling by Ipsos reveals Reform UK enjoys the highest trust on immigration policy at 37 per cent, with Farage himself the most trusted political leader on the issue at 28 per cent.
“Unless we have control of our borders and until we can decide who comes in and who must leave, we will never be the open, tolerant and generous country that I know we all believe in,” Mahmood declared.
Personal History Shapes Policy
Mahmood, 44, who became Britain’s first Muslim woman to serve as Home Secretary following the September 2025 cabinet reshuffle, drew on her family’s immigrant background to frame the debate. The daughter of Pakistani immigrants who arrived in the 1970s, she acknowledged that her appointment would have been “unthinkable” to her parents when they first came to Britain.
The Home Secretary also referenced the September 13th march in London, where 150,000 people demonstrated under what she described as “the banner of a convicted criminal and a former BNP member,” noting that 26 police officers were injured and racist slogans were chanted.
“Patriotism, a force for good, is turning into something smaller, something more like ethno-nationalism,” she warned delegates.
Tackling Street Crime
Beyond immigration, Mahmood announced a “winter of action” scheme targeting shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. Building on a summer initiative that saw increased police patrols and operations in 600 locations, forces across the country will work with local businesses during the busy retail period.
Drawing on her childhood experience working in her parents’ corner shop, Mahmood said: “I know there’s nothing ‘low-level’ about shoplifting. I know what it feels like to keep a cricket bat behind the counter, just in case.
Reform’s Radical Alternative
Reform UK’s immigration proposals would potentially affect up to one in ten Londoners who currently hold indefinite leave to remain status, with the party proposing a five-year renewable visa system with high salary thresholds and stricter English language requirements.
However, the financial figures underpinning Reform’s claims have been challenged. The Centre for Policy Studies, whose report Reform cited to claim £200 billion in savings, has withdrawn its figures following scrutiny from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
“Working-class communities will turn away from us, the party that for over 100 years has been their party, and seek solace in the false promises of Farage,” Mahmood warned conference delegates.
Opposition Response
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed Labour’s proposals as “playing catch-up” with Conservative policies. He argued the plans were a “watered-down copy” of Tory proposals, which went further by pledging annual caps on legal migration and refusing to renew visas for the unemployed or those in low-paid jobs.
Critics from refugee charities have also attacked the proposals. Minnie Rahman, CEO of refugee charity Praxis, accused the government of pursuing policies that would create a “two-tier society.” The Refugee Council suggested the government was “punishing refugees for needing help.”
Reform UK responded that Mahmood’s speech “won’t wash with the public,” maintaining their position that current immigration levels remain unsustainable.
The Road Ahead
A formal consultation on the changes will be launched later this year, with the government confirming that the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will soon be extended from five to ten years. The Home Office has not yet determined specific penalties for those who have previously claimed benefits, indicating this will be subject to consultation.
Mahmood’s appointment as Home Secretary, replacing Yvette Cooper in the September reshuffle, was seen as signalling Labour’s shift towards a harder line on immigration. Maurice Glasman, founder of the Blue Labour faction to which Mahmood belongs, described her appointment as “fantastic.”
“On my second day as Home Secretary, over 1,000 people arrived by small boat,” Mahmood acknowledged, whilst praising her predecessor Yvette Cooper’s deal with France as “a historic step forward.”
As Britain grapples with immigration policy ahead of what many predict could be an early election if Labour’s poll numbers continue to slide, Mahmood’s speech represents a clear attempt to reclaim the political narrative from Reform UK. Whether tougher rhetoric and stricter requirements for settlement will be enough to convince voters remains to be seen.
“Some may describe me in the coming months as a tough Home Secretary,” Mahmood concluded. “Perhaps that is true. But let it never be forgotten that I will be a tough Labour Home Secretary.”
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Image Credit:
Shabana Mahmood — photo (cropped) licensed under CC BY 4.0
