Another day, another huge Labour U-turn – and this will cost us all dearly

Another day, another huge Labour U-turn – and this will cost us all dearly OPINION - JONATHAN SAXTY: Nigel Farage is right, we are uniquely stupid Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments OPINION By Jonathan Saxty – Political Commentator 08:02, Tue, Nov 3, 2026 Updated: 08:07, Tue, Nov 3, 2026 Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announces her U-turn to Parliament on Monday (Image: PRU/AFP via Getty) A massive U-turn by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, egged on by her new boss, Andy 'Open Borders' Burnham, will see thousands of Boriswave immigrants and their dependents allowed to stay in Britain – 300,000 to be precise, with estimates of up to £10billion in potential welfare costs.

Under Mahmood's original plan, the time care worker migrants would have to stay until they were able to apply for permanent residency was 15 years. That has now been cut to five. In response, Reform leader Nigel Farage said: "That it is a very major U-turn in the position of the Home Secretary is clear. That it will cost this country a vast amount of money is clear. "Normal countries don’t give out work visas, allow you to bring dependents, automatically give you indefinite leave to remain, and then one year later citizenship.

We are uniquely stupid in doing this, and we’ve been uniquely stupid in doing this for far too many years." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Burnham snaps under pressure as he plots to scrap one of UK's greatest trade deals Andy Burnham's 'Brexit betrayal' dealt huge blow by 'traumatised' EU Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family .

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Time serving has naff-all to be with it. The Conservatives haven't got a leg to stand on by the way. Under the Tories , net migration reached 2.6 million from 2021 to 2024. Thanks to the Tories , one in 30 people living in the UK arrived between 2021 and 2025 with the then government letting in just over 600,000 immigrants between 2022 and 2024 alone, more than half of which are dependents. In fact, of the 679,523 visas issued between 2022 and mid 2026, 61% were for dependants.

Think of the welfare bill to come because, thanks to the Conservatives and Labour, once these folks get indefinite leave to remain they can claim welfare for life. Thanks to the Tories and now Labour then, 1.6 million people are on track to be granted indefinite leave to remain between 2026 and 2030, with the numbers peaking at 450,000 in 2028. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Caving in to the Left of the Labour Party, Mahmood's plans will also allow small boat illegal immigrants to settle after 30 years unless they work or study, which could see settlement time cut.

Labour and the Conservatives are on a uniparty mission to break our social fabric and bankrupt indebted Britain. Hey, what's another million migrants? Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT All in all, 1.4 million out of the 1.9 million Boriswave immigrants will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain after five years. And get this, a typical care worker ends up being a net drain of £36,000 on the state, whilst their dependent family members each consume £67,000 more in welfare and public services than they contribute in tax.

This is not just an epic U-turn by the Home Secretary but a monumental slap in the face by Andy Burnham to the British people. Then again this is a PM who won a by-election in Leave-voting Makerfield only to talk up Britain rejoining the EU without a referendum. As for the Conservatives, they were elected to cut immigration only to catalyse a tsunami of low skilled workers and their dependents. Now Burnham rubs salt in the wound with these folks staying on and many draining the country forever.

What a travesty for the British people. Immigration Labour Party Andy Burnham Shabana Mahmood Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments