Charities that lobbied for Shabana Mahmood's immigration U-turn on care workers received £1bn in taxpayer cash
Mencap, the learning disabilities charity that publicly opposed Shabana Mahmood's earned-settlement principle, received more than £200m in public funds — the most of the 38 charities that lobbied ministers to dilute the crackdown.The lifetime net fiscal cost of settling care workers and their adult dependants in the UK between 2026 and 2030, which Charity Praxis helped lobby against by bringing over 500 people to Parliament to press around 100 MPs.Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, whose party said applicants who do not add value to Britain should have their citizenship rescinded, as Barnardo's — which received £192m in public money — told peers it opposed earned settlement as a basis for determining whether children could live safely in the UK.Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, as Shabana Mahmood acknowledged her revised plans will save less than the original £10 billion estimate.
Research identified 38 charities that had both lobbied politicians and submitted responses to the Home Office consultation. Their combined public funding — drawn from contracts and grants in their most recent financial year — came to £1 billion. The largest beneficiary was Mencap, the learning disabilities charity, which received more than £200 million and urged MPs to preserve the five-year settlement pathway for care workers.
Children's charity Barnardo's, which received £192 million, told peers it did not support the principles of 'earned settlement' for children.
Of the 560 charity responses submitted to the Home Office consultation, 66 per cent took the position that people who had entered Britain illegally should be able to settle permanently without any penalty.
