‘Fundamentally unfair’: Burnham must overhaul migration reforms, says TUC general secretary
Paul Nowak says changes to immigration rules risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment Andy Burnham must overhaul Shabana Mahmood’s migration reforms or risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, has warned. Speaking ahead of the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton next week, Nowak welcomed the “sense of optimism”…
The TUC's general secretary, Paul Nowak, has criticized incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham for his migration reforms, warning they could overstretch social care and fuel far-right sentiment. The reforms, proposed by home secretary Shabana Mahmood, would force over 300,000 low-paid workers to wait 15 years to legally remain in the UK, including many carers who came to the UK to fill vacancies after the Covid pandemic.
Nowak argues that changing the rules when people have one set of expectations is "fundamentally unfair" and questions how recipients can plan for housing, employment, and education. He also criticizes the idea of a 10- or 15-year waiting period, as the Home Office has proposed, arguing that it would cut across integration efforts.
Nowak suggests that by significantly lengthening the time for people to consider themselves settled in the UK, the reform could ultimately fuel far-right sentiment, potentially giving rise to parties like Reform UK, which has been accused of racism. Nowak emphasizes that Labour should focus on cost-of-living issues to combat populist appeal, such as offering help with rising energy bills, funded by a windfall tax on banks.
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