Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has faced fierce criticism from Labour MPs after unveiling a package of immigration reforms, including ending permanent refugee status and piloting payments of up to £40,000 for rejected asylum seekers to leave the UK voluntarily. One backbencher accused the plans of mimicking Donald Trump, while another warned of a potential Windrush-style scandal.
In a speech in central London, Mahmood said the changes were necessary to restore border control and counter the rise of hard-right parties such as Reform UK. “The generosity of the British people will become conditional on those seeking asylum following the law, living by our rules and not working illegally,” she said. “Taxpayer-funded accommodation will be reserved for those who have no right to work and will otherwise be destitute.”
The plans include reviewing refugee status every 30 months, removing government support from asylum seekers given criminal sentences of 12 months or more, and a pilot targeting 150 families whose claims have been rejected. Those families have seven days to accept the payment or face forcible removal.
Labour MP Tony Vaughan organised a letter signed by 100 colleagues, arguing the proposals undermine integration. “You don’t win back public confidence in the asylum system by threatening to forcibly remove refugees who have lived here lawfully for 15 or 20 years,” he said. Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, warned of a “perpetual state of limbo” for refugees, while Sarah Owen, a leader of the Tribune group, said deporting children “mimics Trump’s ICE detention of children”.
The reforms risk a Commons rebellion, as some measures require parliamentary approval. Three pieces of secondary legislation have been laid to remove support from certain asylum seekers, giving MPs a potential avenue to challenge the plans. The backlash comes amid a fractious mood within the Labour Party after a recent byelection defeat to the Green party.
