Sir Keir Starmer could be on the verge of watering down a major immigration plan in a bid to appease Labour MPs and shift the party into a more centrist position ahead of the May local elections.
The reverse of course on the plans could mean scrapping plans to double the time required for migrants on visas to qualify for indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years.
Critics of the plans pointed to the impact it would have on people already living in the UK who haven't already been granted indefinite leave to remain.
Following the announcement of the policy, which remains under consultation, then-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner labelled the proposals "un-British".
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However, Sir Keir has now hinted at a potential U-turn on the retrospective application of the proposals amid fears raised by social workers over the impact.
Sir Keir made clear in an interview with the Sunday Mirror no final decisions had been reached, adding: "We must always remember that people do want firm rules.
"They want clear rules, but they also want compassionate and fair rules, and certainly in relation to some of the arguments that have been made, for example, by social workers about the impact on them, they make a powerful case, in my view."
The remarks come as Labour faces electoral uncertainty in the looming local council elections in May.
Sir Keir Starmer could water down a number of immigration reforms
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Sir Keir continued by declaring his intention to compete for the political centre rather than pursuing either wing of the ideological spectrum.
"I think very few people want to see Nigel Farage or Zack Polanski as Prime Minister," he said.
"I believe firmly that there are a very large number of people in the middle of politics - which is where politics is always won from - who want to know that there is a Government that has progressive answers to the challenges in their lives."
He added: "We need to make our case more powerfully to them, give them a better account of what we've done."
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Angela Rayner described the prosals as 'un-British'
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Responding to the Prime Minister on X, Reform's Zia Yusuf wrote: "Starmer all but confirms ANOTHER U-turn, that he will allow the Boriswave to get Indefinite Leave to Remain and soon after citizenship.
"This will cost the British taxpayer hundreds of billions.
"Millions came here under the Tories without the consent of the British people, and 5 in 6 came here to NOT work.
"Starmer had a chance to fix this, but he is pathetically caving to Rayner and Polanski."
Chart shows number of people granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK
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More than 100 rebel MPs signed a letter against the reforms, criticising the plans as unjust and a betrayal of core Labour values.
"Adult social care already faces around 110,000 vacancies, and as we await the Casey Review [on the future of adult social care] and the Fair Pay Agreement [for negotiating care workers’ wages], these proposals risk pushing the sector closer to breaking point," the letter said.
Union leaders warned the plans will "move the goalposts" on migrants already living in the country.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP for Poole, directly challenged Sir Keir Starmer before Christmas, echoing Angela Rayner's comments that the plans are "not only unfair, but profoundly un-British".
The MP said at the time: "A Labour Government has lost its way when it is making policy designed to chase Nigel Farage’s tail instead of doing what’s best for the country.
"I worked with migrant care workers for years as a trade unionist they’re decent, hardworking people who do a challenging job in difficult conditions, often for low pay.
"We shouldn’t be going after those people. It pushes a struggling sector closer to crisis and it’s just not fair."