Tories accuse Shabana Mahmood of ‘u-turn’ on indefinite leave to remain policy – UK politics live

Chris Philp says the home secretary is giving in to ‘open-borders Labour left’ ahead of an announcement this afternoon

Shabana Mahmood has justified her proposal to make it harder for low-skilled workers, including care workers, to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) on the grounds that they will be a net burden on the taxpayer. In his statement (see 10.12am), Chris Philp referenced a claim she made in a speech in March when she said:

We have never, in the history of this country, had so much low-skilled migration in so little time. We estimate, based on findings from the migration advisory committee … That the lifetime cost to the taxpayer will be £10bn.

The £10bn figure should be put in wider context. New IPPR analysis suggests that, as a whole, the estimated net lifetime fiscal contribution of all skilled workers (including health and care workers) who were expected to settle in 2026-30, along with their adult dependants, is roughly £115bn. This follows the same approach as the Home Office in calculating the £10 billion net cost for care workers and adult dependants (see methodology below for more details). The risk of deterring skilled workers who make a significant fiscal contribution should therefore be an important consideration for the final set of proposals.