Mahmood’s Migration “Success Story”; Burnham “Rowed Back”
The Times editorial framed the 171,000 net-migration figure as Labour’s “immigration success story” on Thursday evening — Mahmood’s skills-based programme vindicated after Mahmood “came bottom in a poll of Labour members testing the popularity of cabinet ministers” last month. The Times: “Mr Burnham, who initially echoed Ms Rayner’s sentiments, has rowed back. He appears to realise that the only way to defeat Reform UK in Makerfield, and across the country, is to recognise the visceral power of immigration on the doorstep.” The detoxification framing — if it holds — could check the Reform UK advance into Labour territory.
The Times notes the irony that “just as Labour is mooting closer ties to the European Union, the figures show what can be done when sovereign immigration powers are wielded effectively”. The 171,000 figure reflects the closure of the visa route for the dependants of students and the introduction of tougher minimum requirements for skilled work visas. The current Labour government has separately announced further plans to reduce migration: a requirement that migrants speak English to A-level standard, and another rise in the skilled worker visa salary threshold to £41,700. The Home Office has forecast around 1.6 million people could settle in the UK between 2026 and 2030 if no further changes are made. The Times editorial bookends the Reeves rearguard chancellor story this Saturday morning by recasting the Labour cabinet narrative around competence rather than crisis.