The plans, impressed by Denmark’s method, goal to slash irregular immigration and counter the UK’s far proper.
Revealed On 16 Nov 2025
The UK has introduced a drastic discount within the protections for asylum seekers and refugees beneath a brand new plan aimed toward slashing irregular immigration and countering the far proper.
The measures, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, had been introduced late on Saturday as Prime Minister Keir Starmer comes beneath strain from surging reputation for the anti-immigrant Reform UK occasion.
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“I’ll finish UK’s golden ticket for asylum seekers,” Inside Minister Shabana Mahmood declared in an announcement, with the House Workplace, as her ministry is thought, calling the brand new proposals the “largest overhaul of asylum coverage in fashionable occasions”.
Mahmood is because of lay out the coverage in parliament on Monday.
In the meantime, the pinnacle of the UK’s Refugee Council warned the federal government that the measures wouldn’t deter individuals from attempting to achieve the nation and urged a rethink.
“They need to be sure that refugees who work laborious and contribute to Britain can construct safe, settled lives and provides again to their communities,” Enver Solomon mentioned.
Presently, individuals get refugee standing for 5 years, after which they’ll apply for indefinite go away to stay and finally, citizenship.
Mahmood’s ministry says it will lower the size of refugee standing to 30 months. That safety shall be “frequently reviewed”, and refugees shall be compelled to return to their dwelling international locations as soon as they’re deemed secure, it added.
The ministry additionally mentioned it supposed to make these refugees who had been granted asylum wait 20 years earlier than making use of to be allowed to reside within the UK long-term.
Asylum claims document excessive
Asylum claims in Britain are at a document excessive. Polls counsel immigration has overtaken the financial system as voters’ high concern.
Some 109,343 individuals claimed asylum within the UK within the 12 months ending March 2025, a 17 % rise on the earlier 12 months and 6 % above the 2002 peak of 103,081.
The House Workplace mentioned the reforms would make it much less enticing for irregular migrants and refugees to return to the UK and make it simpler to take away these already within the nation.
A statutory authorized responsibility to supply help to asylum seekers, launched in a 2005 legislation, would even be revoked, the ministry mentioned. Which means housing and weekly monetary allowances would now not be assured for asylum seekers.
It will be “discretionary”, that means the federal government may deny help to any asylum seeker who may work or help themselves, or those that dedicated crimes.
Starmer, elected final 12 months, is beneath strain to cease migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats from France, one thing that additionally troubled his Conservative predecessors.
Greater than 39,000 individuals, many fleeing battle, have arrived this 12 months following such harmful journeys – greater than for the entire of 2024 however decrease than the document set in 2022.
The crossings are serving to increase the recognition of Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, which has led Labour by double-digit margins in opinion polls for many of this 12 months.
Greater than 100 British charities wrote to Mahmood, urging her to “finish the scapegoating of migrants and performative insurance policies that solely trigger hurt”, saying such steps are prompting racism and violence.
