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A row has broken out between the government and the UK’s largest union over Shabana Mahmood’s controversial immigration reforms. On Wednesday evening (21 October) a planned meeting between Mahmood and the general secretary of Unison, Andrea Egan, was cancelled by the union after the Home Secretary refused a request for a migrant worker to join the discussion. The meeting would have been the first between the two women since Egan was elected as general secretary of Unison in December 2025.

Under the proposed changes, currently being consulted on by the Home Secretary, the period before foreign workers can claim indefinite leave to remain (ILR) will rise from five to 15 years. In their current guise, the reforms would apply to those already living in the UK who have not yet passed the threshold to claim ILR. The reforms were announced by Mahmood in March this year as part of a package of changes to the UK’s immigration system.…