Shabana Mahmood

Rule Changes

Announced the earned settlement rules in Parliament on 2 November 2026 and confirmed a phased rollout from December 2026

Most foreign workers in Britain will wait 10 years for indefinite leave to remain, up from five. High earners on £125,141 or more can settle in three years, and those on £50,271, plus doctors, nurses and teachers, in five.

Updated 4 days ago

Rule Changes

Acknowledged the pilot's limits; said the average return cost about £56,000

The UK and France ended their 'one in, one out' migrant exchange on October 1, 2026, about 14 months after it began. The pilot sent roughly 1,500 small-boat arrivals back to France and brought a similar number of asylum seekers to Britain, about 4% of the 27,920 people who crossed during the period covered by the figures.

Updated Oct 19

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Leading government appeal against High Court ruling

On February 13, 2026, Britain's High Court ruled the government acted illegally when it banned Palestine Action as a terrorist organization—the first to overturn a UK terrorism proscription. The three-judge panel said the group's tactics of breaking into factories and damaging military aircraft were criminal but did not meet the terrorism threshold, calling into question more than 2,700 arrests and 250 charges under the Terrorism Act.

Updated May 29

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Leading enforcement push

For years, the UK lacked effective tools to force foreign governments to accept deportees: paperwork stalled, travel documents went unsigned, countries simply refused. Deportees stayed in Britain.

Updated May 27