PM's vow to bringing down immigration could put him in a very uncomfortable position
Increasing salary thresholds for immigrants has been touted in political circles as a way to reduce immigration and make it harder for people to bring their families with them.
But a government-commissioned review has said that could put the UK in direct breach of people's human rights.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has produced a report on family visas, requested by Yvette Cooper, to advise government on setting the income threshold for people in the UK wanting to bring family members over from another country.
The MAC said an income threshold of 拢38,700 鈥� proposed by the Conservatives 鈥� for those on a skilled worker visa to be able to bring a family member to the UK was too high.
Are Labour willing to risk breaching international law?
The committee argued it could "conflict with international law and obligations", such as Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR): the right to private and family life.
Despite admitting that a higher salary threshold would reduce migration numbers, it instead recommends the threshold ought to be much lower at 拢23,000-拢25,000 - an income it says is achievable by a full-time worker on minimum wage.
It also warns against raising the threshold for families with children, despite them having higher living costs, as this would impact the children in those families.
However, Sky News understands the home secretary is poised to reject the committee's recommendations and push ahead with tougher immigration rules regardless.
A balancing act
Reducing migration numbers is one of the key pledges from Labour and with persistent criticism of their Tory predecessors for huge annual migration figures, Cooper will be aware she will look hypocritical if she fails to make a significant dent in the numbers.
If immigration figures don't come down enough to placate voters, Cooper and Keir Starmer will be in the unenviable position the Tories found themselves in - being forced to defend a poor record at the next election.
Ignoring the MAC's advice on salary thresholds may be politically expedient, but if it leads to legal challenges using Article 8, Starmer - a former human rights lawyer - could be in a very uncomfortable position.