Angela Rayner’s condemnation of Labour’s plans to make it harder for foreign social care workers to claim permanent settlement threatens to overshadow the start of Andy Burnham’s first party conference as leader.

Rayner used a pre-conference interview to hit out at plans by the Home Secretary to lengthen foreign social care workers’ path to claim settled status in the UK.

The Communities Secretary, who previously described the proposals as “un-British”, has doubled down on her opposition, saying they would mean Labour “changed the goalposts”.

“Especially in regards to the carers, who were asked to come to this country to care for some of our most vulnerable and then we changed the goalposts years down the line, I think that’s very disruptive,” Rayner, a former care worker herself, told .

“I do have concerns about that … when you ask someone to come here and look after your most vulnerable and they spend years dedicating themselves, moving their lives here to look after our loved ones.”

A flagship proposal

Under the Home Office reforms, the timeline for permanent residence will increase from five to 15 years for foreign social care workers, and will apply to all those who have come to the UK since 2021.

The proposal is one of the Government’s flagship policies to tackle immigration, a major issue for many voters – and Labour’s rivals.

If Labour is perceived to be rolling back on its commitment to reduce migration, it could fall out of favour with many voters, and give ground to opposition parties such as Reform UK.

Countdown to conference

Rayner’s intervention comes just before the start of the Labour Party’s annual conference, which kicks off in Liverpool on Sunday.

The timing of her remarks means the issue could be the source of a row during the gathering of the party’s MPs, members and supporters.

At a time when Burnham wants to unify the party, Rayner’s remarks could cause cracks within some sections internally.

With Rayner representing the left wing of the party, any row back on the proposals may spark fury among those who supported the previous government and could form a group against any perceived softening of further policies.

Row resurfaces as Labour performs well in polls

Labour’s current performance in the polls, maintaining what experts are referring to as the “Burnham bounce”, also makes the timing of Rayner’s comments particularly significant.

Latest polling for The i Paper shows the party has slightly extended its poll lead over Reform from four to five points, with 28 per cent.

Nigel Farage’s party remained in second place in the latest BMG Polling for The i Paper, locked on 23 per cent, and behind Labour, for the third month running. Meanwhile, the Conservatives came in third place with 20 per cent.

The Government’s poll lead has prompted speculation that Burnham could call an early general election to take advantage of his party’s position. But the Prime Minister has sought to squash the reports, saying the focus is on “helping people with the cost of living, helping businesses with the costs of running a business”.

The Prime Minister, who spoke out in support of foreign care workers earlier this year, is understood to be considering softening the reforms with an exemption for care workers already in the country.

Cabinet split over issue

Asked whether she had raised the issue with Shabana Mahmood, Rayner told : “I think Shabana knows. It was in the newspaper at the time. I have not changed my view on that.”

Rayner is not the only Labour MP opposed to the Home Secretary’s plans to cut migration. Other figures across Labour and trade unions have also criticised the policy.

Labour backbencher Rachael Maskell told BBC Radio 4’s programme she expected Mahmood to scrap reforms lengthening the timeline for permanent residence from five to 15 years.

However, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who has refuted suggestions of a rift within the Cabinet, told the programme she did not think the planned changes to immigration law were “un-British”.

She added: “I don’t think that we’ve ever had an automatic right to citizenship for most people who come to the UK from overseas.”