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The United Kingdom volition drastically trim protections for refugees and extremity automatic benefits for asylum seekers, the Labour authorities announced precocious Saturday, nether caller plans aimed astatine slashing irregular migration and countering the hard-right.
The measures, modelled connected Denmark's strict asylum system, were announced arsenic Prime Minister Keir Starmer comes nether unit from surging popularity for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.
"I'll extremity UK's aureate summons for asylum seekers," interior curate Shabana Mahmood declared successful a statement.
But the caput of Britain's Refugee Council warned the authorities the measures would not deter radical from trying to scope Britain, and urged a rethink.
Presently, those fixed exile presumption person it for 5 years, aft which they tin use for indefinite permission to stay and yet citizenship.
But Mahmood's ministry, known arsenic the Home Office, said it would chopped the magnitude of exile presumption to 30 months.
That extortion volition beryllium "regularly reviewed" and refugees volition beryllium forced to instrumentality to their location countries erstwhile they are deemed safe, it added.
The ministry besides said that it intended to marque those refugees who were granted asylum hold 20 years earlier applying to beryllium allowed to unrecorded successful the U.K. long-term. Currently, they tin bash truthful aft 5 years.
U.K. Secretary of State for the Home Department Shabana Mahmood walks done Downing Street to be the yearly National Service of Remembrance astatine the Cenotaph successful London, United Kingdom connected Nov. 9, 2025.
Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Asylum claims successful Britain are astatine a grounds high, with immoderate 111,000 applications made successful the twelvemonth to June 2025, according to authoritative figures.
The Home Office called the caller proposals, which Mahmood is owed to laic retired successful parliament connected Monday, the "largest overhaul of asylum argumentation successful modern times."
It said the reforms would marque it little charismatic for irregular migrants to travel to Britain, and marque it easier to region those already successful the country.
A statutory ineligible work to supply enactment to asylum seekers, introduced successful a 2005 law, would beryllium besides beryllium revoked, the ministry said.
That means lodging and play fiscal allowances would nary longer beryllium guaranteed for asylum seekers.
It would beryllium "discretionary," meaning the authorities could contradict assistance to immoderate asylum seeker who could enactment oregon enactment themselves but did not, oregon those who committed crimes.
Starmer, elected past summer, is nether unit to halt migrants crossing the English Channel successful tiny boats from France, thing that besides troubled his Conservative predecessors.
More than 39,000 people, galore fleeing conflict, person arrived this twelvemonth pursuing specified unsafe journeys -- much than for the full of 2024 but little than the grounds acceptable successful 2022.
The crossings are helping substance the popularity of Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, which has led Labour by double-digit margins successful sentiment polls for astir of this year.
Labour is taking inspiration from Denmark's conjugation authorities -- led by the center-left Social Democrats -- which has implemented immoderate of the strictest migration policies successful Europe.
Senior British officials precocious visited the Scandinavian country, wherever palmy asylum claims are astatine a 40-year-low.
Refugees successful Denmark are entitled to a one-year renewable residency permit, and are encouraged to instrumentality location arsenic soon arsenic authorities deem determination is nary longer a request for a harmless haven.
Family reunions are besides taxable to strict requirements, including a minimum property for some parents, connection tests and guarantees of funds.
Britain's Mahmood is besides expected to denote a tightening of rules astir household reunions.
Enver Solomon, main enforcement of the Refugee Council, urged the authorities to rethink its plans, saying they "will not deter" the crossings.
"They should guarantee that refugees who enactment hard and lend to Britain tin physique secure, settled lives and springiness backmost to their communities," helium said.
Labour's much left-wing lawmakers volition astir apt reason the plans, fearing that the enactment is losing voters to progressive alternatives specified arsenic the Greens.
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