The key facts
- Shabana Mahmood cut the waiting period for permanent settlement for foreign care workers already in the UK from 15 to 5 years
- Shabana Mahmood cut the waiting period for permanent settlement for foreign care workers in the UK from 15 to 5 years
- Newspapers assess the decision as a 'U-turn' and a 'concession' amid protests within the Labour Party and the unions
- Newspapers assess the decision as a
- Another front-page topic is a cyberattack on supermarkets in several European countries, which forced frozen food to be thrown away
Easing of rules for care workers
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's decision to revise plans for granting permanent settlement to foreign care workers became the main story on the front pages of British newspapers on Tuesday, BBC News writes in its press review. Mahmood had originally planned to require foreign care workers already in the country to wait 15 years before qualifying for permanent settlement. Now, according to the Daily Mirror, the plans have been 'softened' to support the struggling sector.
Press assessments: a 'U-turn' or a 'concession'
The outlets differ in emphasis but agree on the direction. The i Paper calls it a 'U-turn' that will free 280,000 people from the crackdown: workers already in the country will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years instead of 15 — though four 'non-negotiable' conditions apply for obtaining the status, including a spotless criminal record. The Daily Mail leads with 'Mahmood's £10 billion concession', claiming the minister abandoned the tougher rules after a backbench revolt. The Daily Express writes of a Labour 'capitulation' in the face of, in the paper's words, 'a furious backlash from her own cabinet colleagues and union bosses'. The Daily Telegraph notes that Mahmood 'watered down' her migration policy, even though she herself had previously warned it could cost the taxpayer £10 billion. The Guardian reports that the minister backed away from the 'harshest plans', but MPs were warned that some migrants will still be affected by 'retrospective rule changes with a ten-year wait'. The Times writes that 'hundreds of thousands of foreign care workers and their families will be spared' the restrictions, and quotes government sources calling the reforms 'highly significant' and 'a complete transformation' of the system.
Cyberattack on supermarkets and other front-page stories
The second notable story is a cyberattack on dozens of supermarkets in several European countries. Metro writes that the UK has been put on heightened alert, under the headline 'New Cold War'; according to the paper, huge quantities of food have been thrown away after freezers in stores were reportedly switched to a temperature of up to 50°C (122°F). The Sun, in a similar vein, writes about hackers 'heating supermarket fridges across Europe'. Among other stories: the Financial Times predicts record petrol prices in the US ahead of the midterm elections and cites a poll in which nearly 70% of voters disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation and the cost of living; The Independent, based on a warning from the chief inspector of prisons, writes about a crisis in British prisons, where inmates are 'lying in bed under the influence of drugs delivered by drones'; the Daily Star reports that Wayne Rooney is considered the favourite for the upcoming season of the show I'm a Celebrity.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's revision of settlement plans for migrant care workers features prominently in Tuesday's papers. Mahmood had planned to make foreign care workers already in the UK wait 15 years to qualify for permanent settlement. Instead she has 'softened plans' to help the struggling sector, the Daily Mirror reports.
The i Paper headlines on Mahmood's 'U-turn' to 'exempt 280,000 people' by allowing care workers already in the country to wait five years, instead of 15 years, to apply for indefinite leave to remain. But anyone 'seeking settled status needs four non-negotiables', including a spotless criminal record, the paper explains.
The Daily Mail headlines on 'Mahmood's £10 billion migrant climbdown', describing it as the home secretary abandoning 'tougher residency rules after backbench revolt'. Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured as they 'move into new Cotswolds home', the paper says.
The Daily Express describes the home secretary's announcement as a Labour
The home secretary has
The Guardian says Shabana Mahmood has
The Times reports that
A cyber-attack targeting dozens of supermarkets across several European countries has put Britain on high alert, Metro reports under the headline
The Sun similarly headlines on
Petrol prices are predicted to hit a record high in the US ahead of the midterm elections, the Financial Times reports. As per a nationwide survey from the FT, nearly 70% of voters
The Independent leads on an exclusive into a crisis in UK jails following a warning from a prisons inspector.
And English footballer Jude Bellingham is pictured lounging in underwear for an ad campaign at the top of the Daily Star. Meanwhile, former England football star Wayne Rooney has been tipped to win the upcoming season of I'm A Celeb, the paper reports.
