Mahmood immigration reforms risk repeat of Windrush scandal, campaigners warn

The home secretary's planned migration reforms could risk a repeat of the Windrush scandal, campaigners have said in an open letter to Shabana Mahmood. A letter to the home and health decretaries brands the proposals “unfair”, “punitive” and “an iteration of Windrush era policies”. The Windrush scandal – which campaigners have since said should be known as the Home Office scandal – erupted in 2018 when British citizens were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in Britain.

Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits. In their letter, the Work Rights Centre, Action for Race Equality, Care England, the Society of Radiographers and a number of MPs, said: “Windrush was a scandal borne from racist immigration policies.” Drawing parallels with Labour’s proposals to reform earned settlement, they said the changes, first announced in November 2025, “will increase workforce instability in the health and care sector – which in turn risks worsening the health and wellbeing of everyone in the UK”.

The changes would double the qualifying period for settlement for most migrants from five to 10 years, and potentially triple it to 15 for care workers. The signatories said: “We write to you on behalf of Windrush survivors, racial equity, health and care and migrant rights groups to urge you to stop history from repeating itself.” There has been a backlash within Labour over the proposals, and tensions in the Cabinet surfaced when housing secretary Angela Rayner earlier this year publicly attacked the prospect of backdating the plans.

Last week, amid speculation the proposals could be watered down to avoid a Labour rebellion, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he strongly supports that indefinite leave to remain is a “right to be earned”, but stopped short of committing to bringing in all of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s reforms. Asked if he would commit to sticking to the plans, the PM said: “We’re in a position where we’ve been consulting on those reforms, and we will come forward with our decisions soon.

“But I strongly support the Home Secretary when she says that settlement is a right to be earned through contribution, and that will be the principle that guides our reforms.” Signatories to the letter to Ms Mahmood and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper include Labour MPs Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Clive Lewis, Rachael Maskell, and Diane Abbott, as well as Labour peer Baroness Ruth Lister. The letter said: “The proposals are unfair: doubling the baseline qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain to 10 years and tripling this period to 15 years for care workers.

“Additionally, retrospective application for people already in the UK is punitive. “The proposals will affect allied healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, right through to healthcare support workers and social care workers. “Even with limited exemptions for public sector workers, the impact on dependants and workers in the independent sector who fall out of scope will threaten the number of available personnel to deliver health and care services.”

They argued the proposals “are justified by targeting those migrant workers who came in this country’s time of need during the Covid-19 pandemic, much like the Windrush generation answered the call at the birth of the NHS”. While the signatories have called on the Government to scrap the proposals altogether, they argued that failing that, none should be implemented until impact assessments of the policies can be scrutinised; retrospective application should be ruled out; and a public service exemption should apply to all health and care workers and their dependants.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Secretary is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the Windrush scandal, making sure those affected receive justice and the compensation they rightly deserve. “The Scheme has now paid over £133 million, and in January major reforms to the scheme came into effect. “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.”