Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled a significant new policy prohibiting asylum seekers from using taxis for the majority of their medical travel.
The controversial move, announced on Saturday 29 November 2025, will see taxi use strictly limited to exceptional, evidence-based cases such as physical disability, pregnancy, or serious illness. Even in these circumstances, journeys will now require direct Home Office approval.
Driving the Change: A Response to Widespread Use
This policy shift comes directly after a recent BBC investigation uncovered what it described as "widespread" taxi use by asylum seekers for hospital appointments and other medical needs. The findings prompted an immediate Home Office review of all transport arrangements for individuals within the asylum system.
Ms Mahmood defended the decision, stating the government is collaborating with service providers to introduce alternative transport methods. Public transport is being positioned as the primary alternative in a bid to achieve substantial savings for the public purse.
All contracted service providers have been instructed to fully comply with the new rules and cease using taxis for these medical journeys from February.
Rooting Out Waste and Overhauling the System
"This Government inherited Conservative contracts that are wasting billions of taxpayers’ hard-earned cash," the Home Secretary said. "I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances."
She directly linked this measure to the government's wider pledge, adding, "I will continue to root out waste as we close every single asylum hotel."
This taxi ban is part of a broader set of asylum reforms revealed earlier in the month. The government's stated aim is to deter illegal migration to the UK and simplify the deportation process. Key proposals include:
- Making refugee status temporary, subject to reviews every 30 months.
- Sending refugees home if their country of origin is later deemed safe.
These wide-ranging changes have already drawn criticism from some Labour backbenchers, indicating potential internal party dissent.
The Uncomfortable Truth and Financial Incentives
In comments to MPs, Ms Mahmood described what she called the "uncomfortable truth" that the UK's comparatively generous asylum offer acts as a draw for people compared to other European nations. She stated that for British taxpayers, the existing system "feels out of control and unfair."
In a separate development discussed on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast, the Home Secretary revealed she has directed officials to pilot a small programme of increased payments for individuals with no right to remain who agree to return home voluntarily. The UK currently offers payments of up to £3,000 under such schemes.
