Aubrey Allegretti@breeallegretti
🚨 Major intervention tonight by Angela Rayner at a Mainstream rally in which she:
- Warned Starmer he’s “running out of time” and Labour is now seen as “the Establishment” in some voters’ eyes
- Branded looming migration reforms “un-British”
- Gave a rallying cry for Labour to emulate successful progressive parties that have seen off the threat from a surge on the right
In her sights were plans to hike the automatic qualifying period after which legal migrants gain the right to permanent residence from 5 to 10 years.
Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, announced the reforms earlier this month and said they were vital to stop a £10bn drain on the public finances - due to extra demands for healthcare and housing.
But Rayner said: “Enforcing a fair deal is not the same as ripping up a deal halfway through.
"Many people came here to Britain on the understanding that if they've worked in the sectors where we needed them, obeyed the law and paid their taxes, that they could stay. If we suddenly change that, it pulls the rug from under those that have planned their lives and commitments and they're contributing to our economy and to our society. That would not just be bad policy, but a breach of trust.
"The people already in the system who made a huge investment now fear for their future.
"They do not have stability and they do not know what will happen.
"We cannot talk about earning a settlement if we keep moving the goal posts, because moving the goal post undermines our sense of fair play. It's un-British."
There were also some sharp critiques of Starmer’s political approach.
Rayner said: "It's our job to show the British people whose side we're on. Like other social democratic parties across the West, the very survival of the Labour Party is at stake. And it's that serious for us, because political parties do not have the right to exist."
She added: "In Canada, in Austria, in Norway, the centre-left parties surged back to win again. They showed that they would tackle the issues that mattered most to people and voters decided that a progressive government that puts people first and lowers the cost for ordinary people was the better choice…
“We cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline, there's no safe ground for us, and we're running out of time.”
Holding a glass of white wine as she approached the podium to speak, Rayner made clear she plans to be more vocal after her seven months on the backbenches.
“I’ve got a lot to say and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” she told the room.
