Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has moved to quash speculation over her stance on immigration policy, issuing a firm statement of support for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposed reforms following a joke to reporters that was widely interpreted as dissent.
The clarification comes after Fahnbulleh declined to explicitly endorse the government’s plan to extend the qualifying period for permanent residency during a broadcast interview on Wednesday. Pressed repeatedly on whether she supported doubling the wait for most migrant workers from five to ten years—and potentially up to twenty years for refugees—she demurred, stating only that the government was consulting on the measures.
At a subsequent lunch with political journalists on Thursday, Fahnbulleh referred to the exchange with a self-deprecating quip. She told reporters she had made three promises to herself upon entering politics, the first being to “never lie,” adding that this principle had created “awkward moments,” including her interview with Sky News’ Sophy Ridge the previous day.
In a formal statement released shortly after, Fahnbulleh explained the comment was intended as “light-hearted self-deprecation” that “didn’t get it right.” She stressed: “I fully support our home secretary and the government’s position on migration reform.”
Fahnbulleh reiterated her belief that the system must be based on “compassion and contribution,” echoing her earlier assertion that it is “absolutely right that people should have to make a contribution to this country in order to earn citizenship.”
The proposed reforms represent a significant tightening of the UK’s settlement rules. Indefinite leave to remain currently grants the right to live, work, study, and access benefits indefinitely. Under the plans, most skilled workers would wait a decade rather than five years, while refugees could face a twenty-year path to settlement.
Mahmood told the Labour Party conference in September that the government would seek a position balancing “fairness for those who came here legally and fairness to British citizens.” However, the proposals have encountered resistance from a significant cohort of Labour MPs and trade unions urging the Home Secretary to water down the policy.
Downing Street has maintained that Mahmood is still reviewing consultation responses before finalising the details. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman reiterated this week that the Home Secretary is leading a “thorough piece of work to make sure we get this right.”
The episode follows earlier public reservations expressed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who warned against shifting “the goalposts years down the line” for migrants who arrived under the existing rules. Rayner subsequently denied any fundamental split at the heart of government over the strategy.