Mahmood’s ‘hardline’ immigration reforms hit by growing rebellion - The i Paper

close Cancel email WhatsApp link share Share bookmark Save

Shabana Mahmood is facing a growing rebellion from Labour MPs against her controversial immigration reforms as Parliament returns after the summer break.

A further 10 Labour MPs are expected to publicly oppose her controversial plan to make it harder for many immigrants to settle in the UK.

They will add their names to a parliamentary motion tabled by a leading rebel calling for the proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) to be softened.

Shorts Scroll to previous short Scroll to next short What we know about Ranulph Fiennes care home row When you could buy gene-edited bananas that don’t go brown How long will the warm weather last for? Snooker champion Graeme Dott jailed for child sex abuse 1 2 3 4 5 Caption: FALMOUTH, ENGLAND – MARCH 14: Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes poses for the photographer on March 14, 2022 in Falmouth, England. Sir Ranulph visited Falmouth during his Living Dangerously speaking tour on which he recalls his adventures for theatre audiences around the UK. (Photo by Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images)

news What we know about Ranulph Fiennes care home row

Once described as “the world’s greatest living explorer”, Sir Ranulph Fiennes disappeared from public view in 2024.

Members of his family allege they have not been allowed to visit him. 1 2 3 4 5 Who is Ranulph Fiennes? Ranulph Fiennes, 82, is a famed explorer, known for his Transglobe Expedition.

He is related to actors Ralph and Joseph Fiennes.

In September this year, his relatives raised the alarm that they had not been allowed to visit him.

Fiennes disappeared from public in 2024 after opening up about his Parkinson’s diagnosis. The Ranulph Fiennes case should make every family have one difficult conversation 2 min read 1 2 3 4 5 Allegations of a family rift In September, The Telegraph published its first story airing concerns from friends who alleged Fiennes’ wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, was not allowing anyone else to see him. Caption: London, UNITED KINGDOM: British Explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, aged 62, scales a climbing wall during a press conference in East London, 26 February 2007. Fiennes will attempt to climb the north face of the Eiger Mountain in the Swiss Alps in March 2007 to raise money for the Marie Curie charity which cares for terminally ill patients. Fiennes suffers from vertigo, a heart condition and has lost fingers from his left hand to frost bite. AFP PHOTO/CARL DE SOUZA (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)

Caption: Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his wife Lady Louise, after returning to Britain following a failed attempt to climb Everest.

The newspaper reported allegations that Fiennes had been moved around multiple care homes under false names. 1 2 3 4 5 Campaign to free him The explorer’s stepson, Alex Millington-Cotes, has said he is desperate to visit Fiennes again, and told the BBC he wants power of attorney removed from his mother.

“He’s not an isolated type of person, and so to see him isolated now is very painful,” he said. The Ranulph Fiennes case should make every family have one difficult conversation 2 min read Reform’s £72m could torpedo GB News with the launch of ‘Farage TV’ 4 min read 1 2 3 4 5 King urged to help Concerned friends reportedly wrote to King Charles, an old friend of Fiennes’, but the Palace was also unable to get through to him.

Alex Millington-Cotes has launched a fundraiser to “locate and safeguard” the explorer. Louise Millington-Cotes has not responded to the allegations 1 2 3 food When you could buy gene-edited bananas that don’t go brown Caption: ATZENBRUGG, AUSTRIA – JULY 09: Bananas are pictured on the first tee during the first round of the Austrian Open at Diamond Country Club on July 09, 2020 in Atzenbrugg, Austria. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Step aside banana bread, scientists at a start-up in Norwich have created bananas that keep their colour in your fruit bowl for longer before turning brown.

The flashy new fruit can even stay yellow for up to 24 hours after peeling. 1 2 3 Everything you need to know Tropic Biosciences has developed gene-edited bananas which can last longer.

The start-up used the CRISPR-Cas9 process to tweak three genes which make bananas turn brown.

The start-up used the CRISPR-Cas9 process to tweak three genes which make bananas turn brown.

It means the fruit does not produce the polyphenol oxidase enzyme responsible for pesky fruit-bowl browning.

It means the fruit does not produce the polyphenol oxidase enzyme responsible for pesky fruit-bowl browning.

The bananas have marketing approval from the environment secretary but must pass the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) checks before they can go on sale. 1 2 3 Why is this significant? According to Gilad Gershon, the CEO of Tropic, the edited bananas can resist browning by an extra day or two. He said this would “open up a lot of value in reducing waste”. Caption: (GERMANY OUT) Obst, ueberreife, braune Bananen (Photo by Bonn-Sequenz/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Provider: ullstein bild via Getty Images

Caption: JOLFA, IRAN – SEPTEMBER 18: Tropical plants are being cultivated in Iran’s largest greenhouse, located on the banks of the Aras River, which forms the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in Jolfa, Iran on September 18, 2025. Situated within the Aras Free Zone along the Aras River, the complex spans approximately 240 hectares, with 150 hectares covered by glass greenhouses. With to a hydroponic system imported from the Netherlands, plants are grown in a water-based environment using nutrient solutions instead of soil. The facility also produces 46 tons of tropical fruits such as bananas, papayas, blueberries, and dragon fruit. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Provider: Anadolu via Getty Images

It is not known how long it could take for the FSA to approve the bananas for safe sale in the UK. If they make it through, they will need to be labelled as “gene edited”. 1 2 3 weather How long will the warm weather last for? Caption: People out punting on the River Cam in Cambridge on a warm September day. Temperatures in parts of the South East of the UK reach into the mid 20s. September 22, 2026. High pressure will be the dominant influence across much of the UK through the start of the week, bringing warm conditions and some sunshine for many areas. Photo released 22/09/2026

Photographer: James Linsell Clark / SWNS

Provider: James Linsell Clark / SWNS

Source: James Linsell Clark / SWNS

Tuesday is set to be warm and sunny, with a brief spike in temperatures, but later in the week, the mercury will struggle to get beyond 20°C. 1 2 3 Warmer than average On Tuesday, temperatures are set to hit 26°C in London and parts of the South East, continuing into a muggy night.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir forecasts:”A breezy day, but also a warm one… temperatures today will be well above average for this time of year, particularly for England and Wales.” Caption: People on Cullercoats Beach, North Tyneside, at sunrise. Picture date: Sunday September 27, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Provider: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Caption: Motorists in Ansty in Warwickshire pass woodland showing autumnal colour. Picture date: Monday September 28, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire

1 2 3 Fresher end to the week Nasir warned there is a risk of “some intense bursts of rain” followed by showers on Wednesday.

The Met Office forecast that the weather will turn “a little fresher from Thursday with showers or longer spells of rain at times, mainly in the west”.

As the week goes on, temperatures are set to drop, with very few areas expected to reach 20°C or above. 1 2 3 Caption: File photo dated 19/01/13 of Graeme Dott. Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-aged children, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Issue date: Monday August 24, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Provider: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

crime Snooker champion Graeme Dott jailed for child sex abuse Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-age children.

In August, he was found guilty of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour and on Tuesday he was sentenced to seven years in prison. 1 2 3 What you need to know The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Dott subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse, with the girl targeted between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010.

The jury heard Dott exposed himself in front of both children, touched them inappropriately and kissed them. Caption: Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott, who is accused of sexually abusing two children between 1993 and 2010, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, August 24, 2026. REUTERS/Lesley Martin

Caption: PICTURE ADVISORY. Editors of newspapers printed or that have editions circulating in Scotland and all Internet subscribers or broadcasters whose content is visible in Scotland are advised to seek legal advice before publication of this photograph as, under Scottish Law, the use of a picture of an untried person may be held to be in Contempt of Court.

General view of Glasgow High Court where former world snooker champion Graeme Dott appeared accused of child sex offences. He denies the charges. Picture date: Monday August 24, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

1 2 3 What did the victims say? One of Dott’s victims, now in her 40s, told the court Dott had sexually abused her on multiple occasions.

The second victim, now in his late 20s, also said he was sexually abused on multiple occasions.

Lord Harrower, the judge, told Dott he had “robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood”.

He added the behaviour bore “the hallmarks of grooming”. Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott charged with child sex offences 1 min read

Opposition to the reforms on the Labour benches could become a key test for Andy Burnham who has enjoyed a summer honeymoon during recess. But with MPs now back and the real business of governing starting in earnest, how he handles any showdown will be an early litmus test of his premiership.

The motion from Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, who described the plans as “un-British”, now has the backing of 64 MPs, including 37 Labour supporters, with the updated list due to be published by Parliament over the next 24-36 hours.

Public rebels a fraction of those concerned about legislation

The Labour figures who have signed the motion are believed to represent only a fraction of the 100 or so MPs who have privately expressed concerns to ministers.

Mahmood and Burnham are currently considering offering a concession to rebels after her plans to double the default time immigrants must live in the UK before qualifying for ILR from five to 10 years triggered a major backlash.

The Home Secretary also wants immigrants who are already in the UK to come under the new rules, with this retrospective application in particular fuelling concerns among Labour MPs.

The i Paper reported exclusive BMG polling on Sunday that a substantial proportion of voters back the rebels, with 45 per cent saying those already in the UK to be exempt from the new rules, against 33 per cent who thought the changes should apply.

The same proportion believe lower-skilled health and care workers should be exempt.

Duncan-Jordan and his backers are calling for all skilled worker visa holders, including those in social care, to remain on the default five-year pathway to settlement, saying they “pay taxes, contribute to their communities and have no recourse to public funds”.

The motion adds that these workers “came to the UK in good faith on the clear understanding that five years of work and residence would provide a pathway” to ILR “and many built lives in the UK on this basis”.

Finally, it warns that Mahmood’s changes would “undermine confidence in the immigration system, damage the UK’s international reputation and risk exacerbating skills shortages”.

Duncan-Jordan said: “This issue may well be one of the first real tests for the new PM. There have been encouraging signs that Burnham recognises this has been handled badly. The first step must be protecting the rights of all existing skilled worker visa holders.

“Whether you work in a care home, on our railways or in the medical professions, people built their lives on the basis of a clear deal: come here, contribute and you can stay. To change the rules half way through someone’s stay is simply un-British.

“If we don’t change course, the risk of creating a Windrush-style scandal on a massive scale is obvious. Our public services will suffer, those who rely on those services will suffer and those who have been providing those services will suffer. There is no way out of this – the current plans have got to be scrapped.”

It comes after The i Paper published an analysis by the Unison union suggesting British workers are not filling job vacancies in social care left by fewer migrant staff.

Unison general secretary Andrea Egan warned the union would highlight the issue at Burnham’s first Labour Party conference as leader in late September unless Mahmood offered concessions.

She said: “The willingness of so many MPs to oppose the cruel proposals is encouraging. They know a rethink on these plans is essential.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “Last November, we announced reforms to settlement that double the standard qualifying period to 10 years for most migrants, with shorter routes for those making a strong contribution to the UK.

“A consultation on elements of those reforms has now closed, and we will set out our response in due course.”