ANDY Burnham has been urged to scrap Labour's "reckless" migration plans, with the SNP warning they are an imitation of "Nigel Farage's toxic agenda".
The call comes as MPs gather for the second reading of the Immigration and Asylum Bill on Monday, which SNP MP Pete Wishart described as a "direct attack on Scotland's NHS and economy".
Almost 80 MPs have already signed a letter urging the PM-in-waiting to scrap the controversial policy, which they say targets "a group of migrants that followed the rules" and that "applying this retrospectively does not pass the fairness test for a compassionate but firm system".
Under Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's plans, the time it takes for migrants to be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK would double from five years to 10.
The National told how the policy could also mean that immigrants may only be eligible for benefits and social housing if they become British citizens, and those in the country illegally could have to wait up to 30 years for long-term residency in the UK.
The UK Government has repeatedly blocked a bill from the SNP to devolve migration powers to Scotland and introduce a Scottish visa route, which the party say would address the migration needs of Scotland's care sector and economy.
Wishart, who is the SNP's immigration spokesperson, said: "Andy Burnham’s plans for power are still a closely guarded secret, but if he isn't prepared to face scrutiny on his own policies then at the very least he needs to scrap some of Keir Starmer’s.
"He should start by scrapping Starmer’s reckless migration plans."
Wishart said the policy would "slash NHS and care workers from overseas and starve Scotland's economy of its valued and hugely-beneficial international workforce", branding the plans "a direct attack on Scotland’s NHS and economy".
"They risk tearing apart communities – a retrospective and vindictive change of the rules to discriminate against our neighbours and our friends who have built a home in Scotland and who enrich our nation," Wishart said.
He continued: “The fact that Andy Burnham is facing his first major revolt before he even enters Downing Street should show him just how reckless these plans would be – if he won't listen to stakeholders in Scotland, he should at least listen to the rebellion on his own backbenches."
Wishart said that if Burnham chooses to double down on Starmer's migration policies, "it will clearly show that the Labour Party is still determined to imitate Nigel Farage, and impose harmful policies it knows will damage Scotland, in a shameless attempt to woo Reform party voters in England".
The SNP MP added: "It shows why Scotland needs the full powers of independence, so people in Scotland can make decisions in our interests, instead of having harmful decisions imposed on us by Westminster."
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens urged Burnham to "end Labour's attacks on migrants and people seeking asylum" by dropping the policy, which they described as "racist and authoritarian".
The party's justice spokesperson, Maggie Chapman, called on Burnham to remove Mahmood as Home Secretary and instead focus on building an immigration system "rooted in dignity, compassion and human rights" rather than "cruelty, persecution and punishment".
Chapman said: “Labour’s anti-migrant bill is one of Keir Starmer’s darkest legacies. It takes a system that already dehumanises people seeking safety and makes it even more hostile, punitive and authoritarian.
“This bill is rooted in the same poisonous politics that have fuelled division for years. Instead of challenging the fear and scapegoating pushed by the far right, Labour has chosen to echo it. That is a profound moral failure."
The Scottish Greens MSP said that if the new Labour Government is "serious about turning the page", then "it cannot keep pursuing policies that criminalise people seeking safety or treat migrants as political scapegoats".
"Real leadership means rejecting fear and building a system that reflects compassion, fairness, and respect for human rights," she added.
