Rayner criticises visa rule proposals ahead of Labour conference

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has said she is concerned about Labour's proposals to change visa rules, which would make it harder for foreign workers to secure permanent residency in the UK.

In an interview with the Times , external ahead of Labour's annual conference, Rayner questioned Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's plans, saying they are unfair because they "change the goalposts".

Under the proposals, most migrants would have to wait 10 years to qualify for residency - instead of the current five - while foreign workers on health and social care visas would face a 15-year wait.

Mahmood said the government would make a decision on the immigration overhaul by the end of the year.

Speaking to the Times, Rayner said she was concerned about shifting "the goalposts years down the line" for people who arrived in the UK at the beginning of this decade, expecting to secure permanent residence under the current rules.

She described the potential rule change as "very disruptive" and added: "I do have concerns about that."

During her interview with the Times, she said that the changes would impact foreign care workers who "moved their lives here to look after our loved ones".

Her remarks represent direct criticism of a policy inherited by Prime Minister Andy Burnham from his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer.