Britain’s Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, on Sunday defended plans to overhaul the country’s asylum system, insisting that irregular migration is “tearing our country apart” and must be addressed.
The proposed measures, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum policies, aim to curb the flow of migrants crossing from northern France to England in small boats—a surge that has bolstered support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.
Under the plans, the length of refugee status would be cut from five years to 30 months, after which protection would be “regularly reviewed,” and refugees could be required to return home once their countries are deemed safe. Asylum seekers would also have to wait 20 years before applying for indefinite residence in the UK.
The Home Office said it would create “new safe and legal routes for genuine refugees” via capped work and study programs. A statutory duty to provide housing and weekly financial support to asylum seekers, introduced in 2005, would be scrapped, making assistance discretionary.
“This is a moral mission for me, because I can see illegal migration is tearing our country apart; it is dividing communities,” Mahmood told BBC television, rejecting claims that the proposals were aligned with far-right rhetoric.
The proposals have drawn criticism from refugee advocates. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, called them “harsh and unnecessary,” warning they “will not deter” crossings and urging the government to support refugees contributing to British society.
Labour, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, faces pressure to address the rising number of Channel crossings, which reached more than 39,000 this year—higher than in 2024 but below the record levels of 2022. The party is seeking to counter the influence of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which has consistently led Labour in opinion polls.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the UK proposals, noting that migrants risk their lives crossing the Channel due to more “permissive” conditions in Britain compared with European standards.
The reforms are inspired by Denmark’s centre-left Social Democrats, whose restrictive migration policies have driven successful asylum claims to a 40-year low. In Denmark, refugees are granted one-year renewable residency permits, encouraged to return home when safe, and face strict rules on family reunification.
The proposals are expected to face resistance from Labour’s left-wing lawmakers, who fear the party could lose support to progressive alternatives such as the Greens.
