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Tag: Shabana Mahmood

  • Labour Cabinet Split Deepens as Pressure Mounts on Keir Starmer to Resign

    Labour Cabinet Split Deepens as Pressure Mounts on Keir Starmer to Resign

    Political pressure is intensifying on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after growing divisions within the Labour government emerged over calls for him to set a timetable for his resignation.

    According to reports, Shabana Mahmood is among several cabinet ministers privately urging Starmer to outline a departure plan amid mounting unrest inside the parliamentary party. However, the cabinet is understood to be deeply divided, with Mahmood reportedly in the minority among senior ministers.

    The crisis escalated after four Labour MPs resigned from their roles as ministerial aides and publicly joined demands for new leadership within the party. By late Monday evening, the BBC reported that at least 71 Labour MPs had either called for Starmer to resign immediately or urged him to announce a timeline for stepping down.

    That figure represents a significant bloc within Labour’s 403-member parliamentary caucus and highlights growing anxiety about the party’s direction and electoral future.

    Despite the backlash, Starmer has resisted calls to quit, insisting earlier in the day that he would prove “doubters” wrong. While acknowledging mistakes made by his government, he argued that Labour had still made “the big political choices right.”

    Labour MP Catherine West also softened her stance after previously threatening to trigger a formal leadership challenge. Although she stopped short of taking immediate action, she called on Starmer to leave office by September.

    Meanwhile, Number 10 Downing Street moved quickly to replace six parliamentary private secretaries who either resigned or publicly criticized the prime minister’s leadership. The replacements were announced late Monday night in an effort to stabilize government operations ahead of what is expected to be a highly tense cabinet meeting.

    Among those appointed were:

    • David Burton-Sampson at the Department for Health and Social Care
    • Linsey Farnsworth at the Ministry of Justice
    • Jayne Kirkham at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • Michael Payne at the Home Office
    • Tim Roca at the Department for Work and Pensions
    • Sean Woodcock at the Cabinet Office

    BBC political editor Chris Mason described the situation as one of the most serious cabinet divisions possible, with ministers now openly questioning whether Starmer should remain prime minister.

    A crucial cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday is expected to determine whether Starmer can maintain authority over his government or face an intensified push to step aside.

  • UK to Suspend Study Visas for Applicants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan Over Asylum Abuse Concerns

    The UK government has announced it will suspend the issuance of study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan starting in March, citing widespread abuse of the visa system and a sharp rise in asylum claims from students arriving legally in the country.

    Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also confirmed that skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals will be halted under the new measures. The Home Office said the decision follows evidence that a significant number of people from the four countries enter the UK on study visas and later apply for asylum.

    In a statement, the government said asylum claims from individuals who originally entered the UK legally to study or work have more than tripled between 2021 and 2025. Currently, applicants who arrived on study visas account for 13 percent of all asylum claims in the system.

    Mahmood said she was taking an “extraordinary decision” to refuse visas to nationals who are “seeking to exploit the UK’s generosity,” adding that the move is necessary to restore order and control at the borders.

    Official figures show that about 95 percent of Afghans who arrived in the UK on study visas since 2021 later applied for asylum. Applications from Myanmar increased sixteenfold, while claims from students from Cameroon and Sudan more than quadrupled over the same period.

    The Home Office said many applicants from the four countries cited destitution as part of their asylum claims and noted that the UK is currently supporting around 16,000 people from these nations. The government described the situation as an “unsustainable threat” to the asylum system.

    New legislation will be introduced through changes to Immigration Rules on Thursday, 5 March, to formally stop the issuance of the affected visas.

    The policy follows earlier warnings issued in November when the government threatened to suspend visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless those countries accepted deportations. That move later resulted in the resumption of return flights.

    The measures are part of a tougher immigration approach adopted by the prime minister in response to political pressure from the Conservatives and Reform UK. Last week, the government also announced plans to reduce refugee protection periods to 30 months in an effort to curb small boat crossings.

    In 2025, 41,472 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats, nearly 5,000 more than the previous year. The Home Office said the UK has resettled the sixth-largest number of refugees referred by the UNHCR globally, demonstrating its commitment to helping those genuinely in need.

    Mahmood is expected to deliver a speech this week outlining the government’s “progressive case” for stricter immigration control.

    However, concerns remain within the ruling Labour Party. Last month, around 40 Labour MPs warned that proposed changes to permanent settlement rules for migrants already living in the UK could worsen labour shortages, especially in the care sector. They described the retrospective nature of the policy as “un-British” and accused the government of “moving the goalposts.”