Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a significant ban on the use of taxis for asylum seekers attending most medical appointments, a move aimed at curbing what the government describes as a massive waste of public funds.
New Restrictions and Exceptional Cases
The new rules, which will come into force from February, will strictly limit taxi travel for medical purposes to exceptional, evidence-based cases. These exceptions will include circumstances such as physical disability, pregnancy, or serious illness. Any permitted journey will require prior approval from the Home Office.
This policy shift follows a recent BBC investigation that uncovered what it termed "widespread" use of taxis by asylum seekers, including for remarkably long journeys. One case highlighted involved a 250-mile trip to see a GP.
Systematic Abuse and Inefficiency
Taxi drivers themselves reported to the BBC that the system was open to "abuse." They accused sub-contractors of inflating mileage, for instance by dispatching drivers from great distances to perform very short trips. A striking example was provided to Radio 4’s Today programme, where one driver was sent from Gatwick to Reading to take an asylum seeker to an appointment just 1.5 miles from his hotel. A second driver was then dispatched from Heathrow to bring the same man back from the appointment.
The decision is understood to be the result of a Home Office review of transport arrangements for asylum seekers. All service providers will be mandated to stop using taxis for these medical journeys from the February deadline.
Government Aims and Political Reaction
Ms Mahmood stated that the government is collaborating with providers to introduce alternatives, such as public transport, in a bid to save taxpayer money. She sharply criticised the previous administration, saying, "This Government inherited Conservative contracts that are wasting billions of taxpayers’ hard-earned cash."
She added, "I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances. I will continue to root out waste as we close every single asylum hotel."
The change was welcomed by Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler, a member of the Commons Home Affairs Committee. He described the money "wasted" on taxis as a "shocking indictment of the contracts signed under the previous Tory government," noting that the previous system created a "huge incentive to spend money."
This transport ban is part of a broader set of measures unveiled by Ms Mahmood earlier this month to overhaul the UK's asylum system. These wider reforms, which have drawn criticism from some Labour backbenchers, include making refugee status temporary and subject to reviews every 30 months, and making it easier to deport people to countries deemed safe.
The Home Secretary has argued that the UK's comparatively generous asylum offer is an "uncomfortable truth" that draws people to its shores, creating a system that for British taxpayers "feels out of control and unfair." Separately, she has also revealed a pilot programme to test increased payments for individuals with no right to remain who agree to return home, with current payments reaching up to £3,000.
