Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce sweeping changes next week aimed at deterring migrants and easing deportations, with measures modelled on Denmark's approach. The reforms, to be outlined to MPs on Monday, follow a Home Office visit to study Danish border control and asylum policies.
The plans include potential changes to human rights legislation to prioritise public safety over migrants' rights to family life or the risk of inhuman treatment upon return, as reported by the Telegraph. Home Office officials described the proposals as "the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times."
Ahead of the announcement, the Home Office confirmed 48,560 people have been removed or deported since Labour took office, a 23% increase compared to the 16 months before the last election. This includes refused asylum seekers, foreign criminals, and others with no right to remain.
Mahmood stated: "Nearly 50,000 illegal migrants have been removed or deported since the election. We've ramped up enforcement, deported foreign criminals from our streets, and saved taxpayers millions." She pledged to scale up removals further.
Under a "one in, one out" returns deal, about 100 people have been sent back to France. However, small boat crossings remain a challenge, with 39,075 people crossing this year—up 19% on 2024 but down 5% on the 2022 peak. The Home Office confirmed a second man re-entered the UK via small boat after being returned to France but was swiftly detained.
Among Danish policies under consideration are tighter family reunion rules and restricting refugees to temporary stays. While deterrence effectiveness is debated, a 2017 study suggested Denmark's "negative nation branding" had reduced asylum applications.
