The energy secretary has been forced to clarify that she backs Shabana Mahmood’s migration policy, after earlier joking that she had not been able to “lie” about supporting a key element of the changes.
Miatta Fahnbulleh made the original remarks to a journalists’ event in Westminster, referring to an “awkward” Sky News interview in which she repeatedly refused to say she was in favour of plans to make foreign workers wait 15 years to get permanent residency.
She told the event: “I made three promises to myself when I came into politics. The first was never lie, which has created some awkward moments, including being interviewed by Sophy Ridge yesterday.”
The implication that she could not bring herself to lie about supporting the changes appears to have gone down badly among colleagues in government, although No 10 refused to be drawn on whether they requested her to issue a clarification.
Fahnbulleh posted a statement on social media on Thursday evening saying: “Today I made what was meant to be a lighthearted, self-deprecating remark. I didn’t get it right and it hasn’t come off as I intended.
“I fully support our home secretary and the government’s position on migration reform. As I said earlier this week, it’s absolutely right that people should have to make a contribution to this country in order to earn citizenship.”
The clarification represents a twist in the cabinet split over the issue of the migration changes, with Fahnbulleh and Angela Rayner among those not keen on elements of the original plan.
Mahmood, the home secretary, is consulting on plans to increase the period before foreign workers can claim indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to 15 years, backdated to apply to anyone arriving from 2021 onwards.
She has previously hinted that her plan to make it harder to claim permanent residence could be watered down by exempting care workers from the new rule.
However, there were reports on Tuesday that she was holding firm against making changes. A senior ally told the Times that she had the prime minister’s support, saying: “Andy has been on Shabana’s side throughout this row over ILR. He is holding the line.”
This week it was reported that Fahnbulleh appeared to criticise the plans on her Peckham constituency website in a post about a community discussion that was later removed. She was quoted as saying: “If we continually prolong the time people have to wait for settlement, we can also prolong the process of building cohesion.”
And earlier this year, Rayner, the housing secretary, publicly criticised the plans, while dozens of Labour MPs oppose the changes.
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One of the leading opponents, Mike Tapp, a former immigration minister who clashed with Mahmood over the policy, said the home secretary should “read the room” in relation to the strength of feeling about the changes.
“It’s important we do the right thing. If people have come to the country and genuinely worked in the sector, they shouldn’t be punished and should have the right to apply for settlement after five years as they expected,” he said.
MPs campaigning for changes to Mahmood’s policies believe they have a chance of convincing Andy Burnham to exempt care workers, given reforming adult social care is an issue close to his heart. However, the Home Office has said that would lead to an exodus of foreign workers from the sector when they are no longer bound by the terms of their visa.
No 10 stressed on Wednesday that Mahmood was “carefully considering” more than 200,000 responses to a consultation before finalising the planned changes.
Asked whether tweaks to the home secretary’s revamp – including no longer applying the policy retrospectively – could be ruled out, Burnham’s press secretary said: “We set out proposals for consultation. We’ve consulted on what the transition arrangement should look like for people already in the UK who have not received settled status.
“The home secretary is leading a thorough piece of work to ensure we get this right and have the right arrangements in place.”
Earlier this week, a Home Office spokesperson said: “This government has announced reforms that mean settlement must be earned and not automatic. We are currently considering responses to our consultation on elements of these reforms.”
