Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the most significant overhaul of Britain's asylum system in a generation, facing immediate backlash from within her own party as she detailed plans that include enforced returns for families with children.
Controversial Measures Unveiled
The sweeping reforms, outlined in a 33-page document titled Restoring Order and Control, will see families with children subjected to enforced returns if they refuse government financial support to return to their home country after failed asylum applications. Mahmood told MPs the current system is "out of control and unfair" and that the scale of recent migration has "destabilised communities."
The controversial measures include plans to change how UK judges interpret the European Convention on Human Rights, specifically targeting asylum seekers' ability to use rights to family life to avoid deportation. The government aims to make Britain less appealing to illegal migrants while simplifying removal processes.
Internal Labour Rebellion Grows
The announcement has triggered significant opposition from Labour backbenchers, with Stroud MP Simon Opher leading criticism by urging the party to "stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel." He added that Labour should "push back on the racist agenda of Reform rather than echo it."
Other parliamentarians described the policy as a "visionless shambles" and warned that "performative cruelty" would undermine genuine efforts to fix immigration system problems. The rebellion represents a significant challenge for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who insisted the current system cannot cope with a "more volatile and insecure" world.
Danish Inspiration and Farage Reaction
The reforms draw inspiration from Denmark's stringent migration system, which has reduced asylum applications to their lowest level in 40 years. The Danish approach includes temporary residence permits, strict integration requirements, and controversial policies such as the "jewellery law" allowing confiscation of asylum seekers' assets.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage remarked that Mahmood "sounds like she's auditioning for Reform" but expressed doubts about implementation while Britain remains subject to the ECHR. The Home Secretary responded bluntly, telling Farage and far-right activist Tommy Robinson to "sod off" and rejecting comparisons between her policies and Reform's approach.
The announcement comes as latest figures reveal 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025 - the highest number since records began in 2001, with nearly 40,000 crossing the Channel in small boats this year alone.
