Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has sparked a backlash from Labour MPs after unveiling a series of immigration changes, including an end to permanent refugee status and a pilot scheme offering rejected asylum seekers up to £40,000 to leave the UK voluntarily. The proposals, announced on Thursday, aim to tighten the asylum system but have drawn comparisons to Donald Trump's policies and warnings of a Windrush-style scandal.
Under the plans, refugee status will be reviewed every 30 months, and government support will be removed from asylum seekers who receive criminal sentences of 12 months or more, work illegally, or are deemed able to support themselves. A pilot project will offer 150 families with rejected claims £40,000 each to leave the country, with a seven-day deadline to decide.
Mahmood argued the changes are necessary to restore border control and counter the appeal of hard-right parties like Reform UK. 'The generosity of the British people will become conditional on those seeking asylum following the law,' she said in a speech in central London. 'Taxpayer-funded accommodation will be reserved for those who have no right to work and will otherwise be destitute.'
However, the plans have triggered a revolt among Labour MPs. Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, organised a letter signed by 100 colleagues warning the proposals undermine integration. Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, predicted a 'Windrush-style scandal,' while Sarah Owen, leader of the Tribune group, accused Mahmood of mimicking Trump's immigration policies. Labour MPs are preparing for a possible Commons rebellion, as some measures require parliamentary approval.
