# British taxpayers could be slapped with £5.2BILLION-a-year bill as a result of Labour’s migration U-turn

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/british-taxpayers-could-be-slapped-with-5-2billion-a-year-bill-as-a-result-of-labours-migration-u-turn/
- Published: 2026-11-05T13:48:02+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T16:11:23+00:00
- Original publisher: GB News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.gbnews.com/politics/migrant-crisis-taxpayers-bill-labour-u-turn
- Topics: UK, World

## Key points

- Conservatives project a £5.2 billion annual benefits bill.
- The figure is based on current Universal Credit claim rates.
- Some care workers will qualify for a shorter settlement route.

## Summary

The Conservatives say changes to Labour’s settlement plans could leave taxpayers facing an extra £5.2 billion a year in Universal Credit costs. The estimate adds to debate over the Home Secretary’s decision to shorten the route to Indefinite Leave to Remain for some care workers, following an earlier proposal to extend it.

The Conservative projection applies current benefit-claiming rates to migrants expected to gain permanent settlement; it estimates almost 500,000 could claim Universal Credit by 2030. Home Office forecasts suggest 1.4 million migrants may secure settlement by then, while Tory analysis says one in three settled non-EU migrants already claim the benefit. Under the revised plan, care workers earning at least £25,000 who arrived before May 2025 can qualify for a five-year route; later arrivals face a 10-year period. The Home Office previously estimated that allowing care workers and adult dependants to settle under the existing five-year route could cost £10 billion over their lifetimes.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.