Refugee groups have voiced strong opposition to government proposals that would allow some refugees to wait up to 30 years before being granted settled status. The executive director of external affairs at the Refugee Council described the plans as "unfair and unworkable", joining other charities in warning of the human and administrative consequences of such a policy.
Charities said the proposals risk entrenching precariousness for people who have already fled conflict or persecution, and raised concerns about how a decades-long waiting period could be enforced and managed. They urged policymakers to consider the practical implications and the dignity of those affected when finalising any changes to settlement rules.
The criticism comes as ministers face heightened scrutiny over immigration measures more broadly, with charities and opposition figures pointing to the potential social and legal impacts of prolonged uncertainty for refugees. Campaigners called for clearer safeguards and for proposals to be revised to ensure they are both humane and operationally feasible.
Separately, Downing Street declined to say how much it cost for the government plane carrying Andy Burnham and other UK delegates to a Commonwealth leaders' summit to make a stop in Manchester to pick him up, the Press Association reported. At the daily lobby briefing, journalists asked whether the diversion was an appropriate use of public funds.
A spokesperson for the prime minister defended the arrangements, saying: "The prime minister's travel arrangements are made on the basis of security, operational requirements, and value for money for the taxpayer." The spokesman added that the prime minister's travel reflected "where he was carrying out official government business at the end of last week." The refusal to provide a cost figure drew further questions about transparency around ministerial travel expenses.