Miatta Fahnbulleh says she backs migration reforms after ‘never lie’ remark

UK energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said on 22 October that she supports the government’s migration reforms, clarifying a remark she made at a Westminster journalists’ event about an awkward television interview. The statement came as ministers consider changes to how long migrants must wait to qualify for permanent settlement.

Fahnbulleh said her comment was intended to be ‘lighthearted’ and ‘self-deprecating’ but had not come across as she intended. ‘I fully support our home secretary and the government’s position on migration reform,’ she said, according to the Guardian and BBC News.

How Fahnbulleh’s remark raised questions

During the Sky interview, Fahnbulleh said the immigration system needed reform and described compassion and contribution as principles she favoured, according to the BBC. She said the government was consulting on its proposals before deciding which measures to take forward. Her later statement said people should contribute to the country to earn citizenship, the Guardian reported.

Proposed settlement rules remain under consultation

The reports differ on the proposed qualifying period for migrant workers. The Guardian described a plan to raise the wait for indefinite leave to remain from five to 15 years and apply it to people who arrived from 2021 onwards. The BBC described a proposal to double the period for most migrant workers from five to 10 years, with refugees potentially facing a 20-year wait. The government has yet to finalise the rules.

No 10 said the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, was considering more than 200,000 consultation responses, the Guardian reported. A Home Office spokesperson said responses on elements of the reforms were being reviewed. The BBC reported that the prime minister’s spokesman said Mahmood was leading work on the arrangements.

The debate has exposed disagreement within Labour. The Guardian reported that former immigration minister Mike Tapp opposed extending the wait for people who had come to work in the UK and expected to apply for settlement after five years. The BBC reported that Angela Rayner had criticised proposed changes affecting people who arrived earlier in the decade, although she later denied a split at the heart of government.