Government unveils 'tough' new asylum plan as Labour backlash grows over crackdown
The plans were announced by Shabana Mahmood, who claimed the UK was being targeted by people "asylum shopping" around Europe.
The Government is braced for infighting after several Labour MPs publicly criticised its "tough" overhaul of the asylum system, which was announced by the home secretary today.
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Under the sweeping changes, asylum seekers will be returned home if their country is deemed safe and will have to wait 20 years before they can apply to settle permanently.
Deportations after claims are rejected will also be sped up, while visas for nationals from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo will not be granted if their governments do not increase cooperation with the UK's attempts to deport their citizens.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said the current asylum system “feels out of control and unfair”.
Announcing proposed changes to the asylum system in the Commons on Monday, she said: “It feels that way because it is.
“The pace and scale of change has destabilised communities, it is making our country a more divided place.
“There will never be a justification for the violence and racism of a minority, but if we fail to deal with this crisis, we will draw more people down a path that starts with anger and ends in hatred.
“I have no doubt about who we really are in this country.
“We are open, tolerant and generous, but the public rightly expects that we can determine who enters this country and who must leave.”
The plans were announced by the home secretary, who claimed the UK was being targeted by people "asylum shopping" around Europe.
"Over 100,000 people now live in asylum accommodation, funded by the taxpayer. Many refugees remain unemployed several years after being granted protection, depending on taxpayer-funded benefits to live in the UK. This must change," Ms Mahmood said.
However, some ministers are reportedly concerned about the proposals, while several Labour MPs have publicly criticised them.
But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the asylum system was not designed to cope with a “more volatile and insecure” world or a situation where asylum seekers travel through “multiple safe countries before seeking to cross the English Channel by boat”.
He said: "If we want to see fewer channel crossings, less exploitation and a fairer system with safe and legal routes, we need an approach with a stronger deterrent effect and rules that are robustly enforced.”
The plans have already sparked opposition from backbench MPs, with Kent MP and former immigration lawyer Tony Vaughan saying the rhetoric "encourages the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities".
Referencing Sir Keir’s speech at the Labour Party conference, he said: “The Prime Minister said in September that we are at a fork in the road.
"These asylum proposals suggest we have taken the wrong turning.”
Other backbenchers expressed support for Mr Vaughan’s comments, with one saying the Government’s policy was "incoherent" and saw communities "pitted against each other".
Another said that "performative cruelty" would undermine efforts to both solve problems in the immigration system and improve Labour’s polling position, adding that Monday’s announcement was unlikely to help MPs show loyalty at a difficult time for the Government.
Increasing removals is a key focus of the plans, which will make it easier to return families with children to their home countries, alongside the continuation of the "one in, one out" pilot scheme with France.
The Home Office has not prioritised the removal of failed asylum families, meaning they have continued to live in government-funded accommodation and receive some support.
Current rates see each person receive £49 a week if they're not receiving meals in accommodation, with an extra £5.25 for pregnant women or a parent has a child under three years old.
The government says its “hesitancy” in sending families home has created “perverse incentives” including placing children in dangerous cross-channel dinghies.
This would be a major shift in approach and could conflict with existing laws requiring the UK to ensure children are not left destitute or at risk.
Ministers will also explore the use of “return hubs” or “safe third countries” – where failed asylum seekers can be sent instead of their home country.
Reforms are planned for the appeals process to reduces delays and backlogs, with only immediate family members having the right to join a relative in the UK.
The government will also continue to run its long-standing system of cash incentives to encourage people to leave.
Elsewhere in the plans, refugee access to benefits will now be a priority for those who make economic contributions.
They will also receive 30 months of leave to remain, which is only renewed if they are considered to still need protection.
Those who get a job or start studying in that time can switch to to the protection work and study route.
Asylum support will be denied to those not complying with support conditions, who have a right to work, or have intentionally made themselves impoverished.
Digital IDs will be compulsory for right-to-work checks, which will be extended to self-employed and sub-contracted workers, and those in the gig economy.