Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a radical overhaul of the UK's immigration system, including an end to permanent refugee status and the removal of government support from asylum seekers deemed not to need it or who break the law. The proposals have sparked a backlash from Labour MPs, with one backbencher accusing her of mimicking Donald Trump and another warning of a Windrush-style scandal.
Mahmood unveiled the plans in a speech in central London on Thursday, stating that "the generosity of the British people will become conditional on those seeking asylum following the law." She also launched a pilot project offering 150 families with rejected asylum claims up to £40,000 each to voluntarily leave the country or face forcible removal. The families have seven days to decide.
Labour MP Tony Vaughan organised a letter signed by 100 colleagues criticising the proposals, saying they undermine the government's commitment to integration and social cohesion. "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 of centre-left Labour MPs, said the idea of deporting children "mimics Trump's ICE detention of children." Labour MPs are preparing for a possible Commons rebellion, as some of the plans require parliamentary approval.
