Andy Burnham is considering watering down plans to implement the Home Secretary’s hardline immigration reforms, according to allies.
Under Shabana Mahmood’s plans, the time it takes for most migrant workers to qualify for permanent residence will be doubled from five years to 10 and will be applied retrospectively.
That means those who are already in the country might have to wait longer for permanent residency than they expected when they arrived in the UK.
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Can following a particular diet
help prevent or delay dementia?
Some studies suggest so.
These are the eight brain-boosting foods registered dietitian Fareeha Jay
recommends people consume as part of a weekly diet…
Foods that can cut dementia risk
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Eggs
They contain several nutrients thought to support brain health, including choline, vitamin B12 and iodine.
Coffee
Caffeine can reduce inflammation and
slow the degeneration
of brain cells.
Barista hand making cappuccino Coffee with espresso machine in cafe – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Cooking fruit and vegetables (Photor: GMVozd/Getty Images/E+)
Broccoli
It’s packed with antioxidants and high in vitamin K, which is essentially for healthy brain cells.
Fibre is overlooked in dementia prevention
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To increase fibre intake, include wholegrains, nuts, seeds, lentils, and legumes.
Fermented foods also support brain health by improving the gut microbiome.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Foods that can cut dementia risk
(Photo: Joff Lee/Getty Images)
Oily fish
Your brain uses Omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells – so a diet rich in them may slow age-related mental decline.
Walnuts
These improve heart health markers, which is linked to a lower risk of neurological disorders.
Health professionals are nuts about nuts – with good reason!
Supermarkets report increasing demand for blueberries (Photo: RHS/Guy Harrop)
Blueberries
They contain compounds which have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain, cognitive function, and memory.
The Mind diet
The diet aims to reduce dementia risk and the decline in brain health.
It was created in 2015 by Dr Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush University Medical Centre and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
It encourages vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, fish, beans, and poultry.
These foods contain nutrients that promote good brain health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
The Midlife MOT is open to all and covers three key areas: work, wealth and well-being (Photo: Westend61/Getty)
Feeling insecure at work
in your 50s? You’re not alone
The final decades of work
There’s this assumption about being put out to pasture… but now that we’re living and working longer, we have to challenge myths around ageing and remember that over-50s are a crucial part of the workforce…
LYNDSEY SIMPSON, AUTHOR OF AGE REBELLION AND FOUNDER OF 55/REDEFINED
The current situation
By 2030, almost half of all employees in the UK workforce will be over 50.
36%
Now one in three workers are over 50.
Yet more than a third of those between 50 and 69 believe that their age puts them at a disadvantage when they apply for jobs.
37%
The Age Without Limits study from 2024 shows that 37 per cent of workers between 51 to 70 felt badly treated in work because of their age.
The things to do, says Simpson
More and more people are using AI for counselling (Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty/Moment RF)
Keep learning new skills
We need the same level of career planning in
our fifties as our twenties. It’s possible to reinvent yourself again.
Embrace technology
It’s nonsense that older people can’t pick up how to use new tech.
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Think about money
Do you need a pay rise? Could you trade some of that money you earn, to work a bit less, and do more things you enjoy?
The things not to do
Become full-time childcare
Grandparenting on the horizon? If you don’t want to do childcare, have the conversation early – even before a child becomes pregnant – that you plan to continue working and love your job.
Caption: Indoor image of thoughtful puzzled senior woman with gray hair in glasses looking at paycheck holding head in hand, upset with high rent charge, sitting at kitchen table in front of laptop
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Grandparents and granddaughter gardening together – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Accept redundancy too quickly
It’s going to be so much harder to get back into work if you don’t have a plan before you take that leap.
The things not to do
Rush into retirement
Senior bed woman problem pain headache home elderly mature pain bedroom upset unhappy female caucasian adult relationship retirement old difficulty ache head sick migraine hangover sleep – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Everybody thinks early retirement is the dream but the reality can be different. There can be loneliness, lack of purpose and a sense of invisibility.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
By November, UK food prices will be 50 per cent higher than they were at the start of the cost-of-living crisis
With that in mind, food editor Sophie Morris shares how she saves money on her weekly shop
Easy ways to save on the weekly shop
Caption: NORTHWICH, ENGLAND – JULY 06: Whole chicken sit on display in a Tesco supermarket on July 06, 2022 in Northwich, England. The British Retail Consortium recently said food manufacturers and supermarkets are having to pass on some of the cost of soaring raw materials to consumers, leading to the price of basic goods throughout the UK rising at the fastest pace since September 2008. Fresh food prices increased by 6% in the year to June 2022 coupled with an increase in inflation, and fuel and energy prices to create a cost of living crisis. This is leading to millions of low-income households going without essentials items, falling behind on bills and taking on debt. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
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Avoid chicken breast
Boneless chicken thighs are all meat and a much tastier product.
Don’t plan everything
If you plan every meal all week, there’s no leeway for necessary last-minute changes of plan (or leftovers).
Man Cooking By Woman Chopping Carrots In Kitchen – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Governments are not all powerful when it comes to huge international forces like those increasing global food prices (Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty Images/Moment RF)
Shop alone
There are so many products that children want to fill the trolley with – all kinds of exciting eye candy. It’s cheaper to go alone.
Easy ways to save on the weekly shop
Consider a vegetable box delivery
Having a Riverford box delivery helps Morris avoid impulse buys and go to the shops
less – even though the box is pricey. “It is expensive, but of great quality and organic”.
Milk and potatoes prices are expected to increases sharply later this year, say supply chain experts (Photo: Kate Wieser/Getty)
Low carb, FODMAP diet food background with vegetables, fruits, smoked salmon, chicken fillet, greens, nuts, olives. Menu for healthy eating . – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Track your spending
It doesn’t need to be an elaborate spreadsheet but without some kind of metric, it’s impossible to spot where you
can or must make cutbacks.
Easy ways to save on the weekly shop
The supermarket loyalty schemes vary in their generosity (Photo: Paul Childs/Reuters)
Look for yellow stickers
You can save plenty
over a year by never buying branded products at full price.
Take stock
Do a quick cupboard stocktake. You might find you already have three jars of one thing.
Mid-Adult Couple Calculating Their Finances On The Laptop In The Kitchen – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
“Soft restrictions” aren’t infallible; we can always make the effort to get a ladder and get the biscuit tin down from the highest shelf (Photo: Getty)
Avoid packaged snacks
Packing fruit, biscuits, and nuts etc into a Tupperware to take out is more cost effective than buying tiny packaged portions.
Easy ways to save on the weekly shop
Be wary of DIY treats
“Faking” a takeaway at home can sound like a cheaper option, but if it’s something you don’t usually cook – that needs new ingredients – it could work out pricier.
Whatever you buy, buy British if you can. That will help boost fishermen’s finances (Photo: Betty Laura Zapata/Getty)
Caption: A customer looks at packages of chilled chicken cuts in a part-empty refrigerated display unit at a Lidl supermarket store in Walthamstow, west London, on September 21, 2021. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Do you need it now?
Returning a few things to the shelves that you won’t need in the near future can save you a healthy amount.
Skip a shop
Every time you make do with what’s at home,
you save big.
Supermarkets will find ways of holding down the price of the basics, and try to make their money on the fancy lines (Photo: Roy James Shakespeare/Getty)
Easy ways to save on
the weekly shop
Try a week or a month of shopping local,
and you might be surprised at the results,
in terms of cost and other benefits like supporting local businesses, and
avoiding car journeys and traffic.
Defenders of the triple Lock point to the fact pensioners are often asset-rich and income-poor. (Photo: Getty)
Go shopping when you’re not in a huge rush so you can make relaxed and informed decisions. Don’t expect to stick to your plan or make great choices when you’re in a hurry.
I’ve been a cleaner for 30 years – these are the 10 products I swear by
Rebecca Jones has tried most cleaning products in her
decades-long career.
She shares the ones she can’t
live without.
The 10 best cleaning products
Best vacuum
Henry is a classic.
It has fantastic filters, sucks up pet hair quickly, and is great at cleaning up fine dust.
Best mop and bucket
The Vileda H2PrO set is light, manoeuvrable and keeps clean and dirty water separate.
A reader has asked whether or not she should sack her cleaner because she isn’t doing a good job anymore (Photo: stock image of a man cleaning a window via Getty Images)
Best glass cleaner
The HG Glass and
Mirror cleaner removes stains without leaving smudges or streaks.
The 10 best cleaning products
Best multipurpose cleaner
Method’s multi-surface cleaner is plant-based, cruelty-free, and works great on grease, sinks, sealed wood surfaces, hobs, bins and sealed laminated floors.
Deep cleaning glass door handles for Covid-19 disease prevention. alcohol,disinfectant spray on Wipes of Banister in home for safety,infection of Covid-19 virus,contamination, germs – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Best toilet brush
Unlike a regular toilet brush, nothing gets stuck in the bristles of Ibergrif M34152 Silicone brush. It also dries quickly, so
there’s less odour.
The 10 best cleaning products
Best mould remover
Jones uses the HG Mould Spray on walls, tiles, grout, windows and outdoor furniture.
(Photo: boonchai wedmakawand/Getty/Moment RF)
Best cloths
The Seep Eco Bamboo clothes have a streak-free finish and last.
Best carpet cleaner
Every home should have a bottle of Dr Beckmann’s stain remover, says Jones.
Caption: Dr Beckmann Power Brush Stain Remover
Image from https://www.dr-beckmann.co.uk/products/pre-wash-stain-devils/
The 10 best cleaning products
Best stain remover
The Mr Siga Multi-Functional Eraser Sponge acts like fine sandpaper to lift
dirt, stains, and scuffs using only water.
(Photo: Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images/Moment RF)
Best kept secret
Jones uses Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser to polish stainless-steel, scour sinks and clean her fridge and cookware.
Around 957,000 people aged 16 to 24 are classed as NEET ie. not in Education, Employment or Training
But as youth unemployment rises, not all companies
are looking to universities to find their new recruits. Meet the people who have benefitted.
Poorer graduates will be hit hardest by the changes, the National Union of Students says (Photo: Andrew Fox/Getty/Image Bank)
For young people unable to attend uni
My whole life was being a carer, so I was very lost…
From the age of around 10, Bruce Devlin took responsibility for everything at home – from administering his mother’s medication, to doing the shopping, cooking, cleaning and supporting his mother’s mental health.
He scraped through school, leaving with the lowest grades.
Now, aged 26, he has secured a job by pursuing an unconventional route.
The charities helping them
Bruce followed an unconventional route.
Getting a foot in the door seemed impossible with his qualifications, lack of experience and connections.
His Job Centre work coach put him in touch with Generation, a non-profit which partners with companies to identify roles which they are struggling to fill.
He landed a place on Generation’s first IT support boot camp and benefited from CV and interview coaching.
Bruce is now a level three senior quality engineer with 2i Testing, a company which tests other companies’ software.
The result
Getting a full-time salary and being a contributing member of society is an amazing achievement. Without this, I’d be just another person on jobseeker’s allowance, wasting any potential I had.
BRUCE DEVLIN, 26, GLASGOW
The apprenticeship route
Jessica Andrea Carvalho had an offer to start a media and marketing degree but she rejected it at the last minute to avoid huge debt and years of classroom learning.
Avoiding increasing
NEET numbers
Young woman at her first job interview with the owner of a coffee shop – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Generation placed 700 people
like Bruce in jobs last year.
The number of placements has jumped 20 per cent from last year.
42 per cent of their learners come from the UK’s most deprived areas.
Big Read
10 min read
Plan 5 applies to students who began university courses on or after August 2023
(Photo: Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/Getty Images/
Source: Moment RF)
What do employers think?
Creating more routes in is not just about opportunity – it helps bring in talent with different experiences.
Paula Cunnington, the chief talent officer for Publicis Groupe UK, a network of marketing agencies that has hired 79 apprentices, says curiosity and real-world experience are far better indicators of future success.
Up to 75 per cent of us in the UK are not drinking enough water.
The human body can survive for a time without food, but it cannot survive for long without water.
Here are the signs you need more fluids, according to a GP.
How much we should drink
Water is the most vital component for life.
6-8
NHS guidelines advise we should be drinking six to eight glasses of fluid per day.
This does vary depending on our activity levels, the weather, and if we are ill.
80%
An estimated 50-80 per cent of our bodies and brains being made up of water.
It allows us to deliver nutrients to cells in our blood, lubricates our joints, regulates our temperature and much more.
How to stay hydrated
What to drink
Not all fluids are the same – water takes top spot, as it hydrates without sugars or calories, but lower-fat milks, sugar-free drinks or moderate amounts of tea and coffee can all count towards fluid intake.
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A reader bemoans that his children spend money on fancy coffees and holidays with friends, never having a penny left each month
(Photo: Getty/Gorica Poturak)
What to avoid
Limit smoothies and fruit juices to 150ml per day because the sugar causes dental decay.
Signs you’re not drinking enough
1. Our brains
The pain from migraines is sometimes described as feeling like you’ve had an axe blow to the head (Photo: Getty)
When dehydrated, we can display an exaggerated response to pain and experience headaches. Concentration, attention, reaction times and short-term memory can also all be negatively impacted.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
Signs you’re not drinking enough
2. Our bodies
Another common sign of dehydration is constipation. Our skin can look duller, be less bouncy to the touch and be less elastic.
Tired Asian businesswoman working on a laptop computer in the office – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Ekaterina Demidova/Getty).
3. Our psychology
Research has shown that even mild dehydration can lead us to feel more moody, stressed and irritable. We can also feel more tired than usual, with less energy and motivation.
Quick and life-changing tricks for a calmer, tidier home
Easy habits to declutter your home
I need someone to tidy up my attitude towards tidying. Who does one hire for that?
(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The habits audit
Subconscious habits can cause clutter so take regular pauses to stop and notice what you are doing during the day.
The re-entry reset
Establish a routine you follow every time you come home so the entrance stays clear.
Two young children wearing school uniforms exit their front door – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Late toilet training has become more common, putting pressure on teachers and taking up learning time (Getty)
The exit mindset
Each time you leave the house, take a minute to think: ‘What can I take out with me?’ To the tip? To the charity shop? To recycle?
Easy habits to declutter your home
The drop zone
Doing a clear-out for charity doesn’t need to be a big task. Have a donate box in a practical location to drop any unwanted items as you come across them.
(Photo: Westend61/Getty).
(Photo: Getty).
Dedicated home
Create a logical home for everything so it’s easier to find and keeps everything in place.
Easy habits to declutter your home
The quick scan
Each time you open a drawer identify a few items you can bin, donate or return to their rightful home.
Woman carrying box while moving and cleaning up at home happily – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Follow these rules to declutter your own home (Photo: Nadzeya_Kizilava/Getty/E+)
One in, one out rule
To manage wardrobe clutter follow the rule that a new item can only go in if you give something else away.
The daily check-in
Give yourself a few minutes at the start or end of the day to acknowledge the progress you’ve made.
Woman Refreshing the Bed with Clean Bed Sheets in a Bright Room – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
It can be far easier to seek an internal promotion rather than a new job elsewhere
The statistics
A trend of ‘job hugging’
12%
In January, available vacancies were down 12 per cent compared to a year prior.
According to the ONS it marked 39 consecutive quarters of decline.
51%
of UK employees plan to stay in their current roles, as Employment Hero’s first Annual Jobs Report shows. Four in 10 say competition is too high to take the risk.
So how can you improve your current situation without leaving?
Learn to humble brag
Your wins don’t always speak for themselves. Share them. Jump into conversations beyond your usual remit. How people see you today shapes the opportunities that come your way tomorrow. Even small updates can have an outsized impact.
VICTORIA MCLEAN, CEO OF CITY CV AND AN EXPERT IN CV AND PROFILE WRITING
Drive Talent Investments with Strategic Workforce Planning. A female job-seeker answering questions during a job interview with a human resource manager in a business office. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Make your case – with data
Caption: Mid adult man with eyeglasses sitting on a comfortable sofa at home, thoughtfully writing notes in a small notebook while natural sunlight illuminates the room
Photographer: Milan Markovic
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Keep a log
The chances of your boss remembering what you achieved in Q1 by December is low so keep a success log.
Treat it as a proposal
Show impact, link it to organisational goals,
and outline future
value, says McLean.
Male candidate handshake with the recruiter at job interview – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Shutterstock).
Don’t be shy
Ask your boss directly what you need to do to be promoted in the next six to 12 months.
Offer solutions to problems
Ask yourself: what keeps your organisation awake
at night?
Solve those problems and you shift from just doing your job to being a strategic asset.
Sharing your ideas and views with the people above you can really prove what you’re capable of.
Proactively initiate new projects
or processes.
It ‘s daunting but getting people to see you in a more elevated position before you get there is really effective.
Caption: Worried businessman biting his nail while waiting for a job interview with other candidates in a hallway of an office building.
Photographer: skynesher
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Ask for training
It’s a fantastic signal to show how serious you are about your development.
As careers are no longer linear, a promotion may not be in your current role, but perhaps in the same company in a broader role.
Do some digging to find out what else might be available in other areas.
Mahmood insists the changes to the law, which are expected to be introduced in the autumn, are necessary because of the “historically large numbers” that arrived since 2021, dubbed the “Boriswave” by Reform UK.
Rayner among Labour MPs to oppose policy
However, Mahmood’s proposals have led to a furious backlash from some Labour MPs. Among the opponents are Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, who said in March that it would be “un-British” to apply the changes retrospectively.
Rayner said there were people who now “fear for their future” due to the prospect of the Government “moving the goalposts”.
She argued that changing the rules would “pull the rug” from under people who came to Britain on the understanding they could stay if they worked where they were needed, obeyed the law, and paid their taxes.
“That would be not just bad policy but a breach of trust. The people already in the system, who made a huge investment, now fear for their future; they do not have stability and do not know what will happen,” Rayner added.
Burnham’s allies say he shares her concerns and is looking again at the proposal to impose the changes retrospectively. “He sees it as a matter of fairness and will not want to impose the changes retrospectively,” said one source who is familiar with the discussions.
A source close to Burnham described the claim as “speculation” and said he was “yet to make a decision”.
Migration will be a key test for Burnham if he becomes prime minister. The failure to stem small boats – even though Mahmood’s reforms concern legal migration – is considered among the reasons Reform UK are polling so well.
Although Burnham’s by-election campaign in Makerfield – where immigration was one of the key issues – is understood to have shifted his views on the Home Secretary’s reforms, he has criticised them previously.
He said last year that doubling the time it takes for migrants to qualify for indefinite leave to remain would leave people “in a sense of limbo and unable to integrate”.
However, in the days after his by-election victory, he said he backed the “broad thrust” of her reforms – but he also appeared to suggest there could be some changes to ease the impact on foreign nationals who have been in the UK for several years.
With many Labour MPs critical of Mahmood’s reforms, Burnham will need to look tough on migration while not alienating the party he has just united.
Revolt against reforms
The current Government is consulting on the reforms and reviewing more than 200,000 responses.
Downing Street has previously refused to rule out the measures being watered down in response to the consultation, following a backbench revolt against the changes earlier in the year.
In February, more than 100 MPs, peers and union leaders demanded Mahmood pause her reforms amid fears they would hit key sectors such as social care, pushing it “closer to breaking point”.
Mahmood’s allies have not ruled out the measures being watered down.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We will always welcome those that come to this country and contribute to our national life. But the privilege of living here forever should be earned, not automatic.
“But between 2021 and 2024, this country experienced levels of migration it had historically seen over four decades. We must be honest about the scale and impact of hundreds of thousands of low-skilled migrants getting settlement.
“The Government will double the route to settlement from five to 10 years. As announced in November, we are consulting to apply this change to those in the UK today but have not received settled status. We are currently reviewing the 200,000 responses and will outline our response in due course.”