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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing to introduce a new policy targeting asylum seekers who violate laws or work without authorization. Under the proposed changes, such individuals will face removal from government-funded housing and a halt to their support payments. Mahmood is set to present these plans during a speech at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) on Thursday, following her recent visit to Denmark—a country whose asylum system the Home Office views as a model.
According to the Home Office, the reforms scheduled to start in June will also stop support payments to any asylum seekers who are capable of self-sufficiency. The government aims to restrict free accommodation and assistance exclusively to those it identifies as genuinely needing help. Mahmood intends to frame her approach as the “Labour case” for tightening support, portraying it as a balance between compassion and control to appeal to skeptics within her own party.
The proposed legislation will mirror Denmark’s approach by abolishing the legal obligation to provide support to asylum claimants at risk of becoming destitute while awaiting a decision. After an applicant has been waiting for over a year and gains the right to work, they may be denied further assistance, as they will then be presumed capable of supporting themselves. This restriction will also apply to those applying for asylum after entering the UK on visas granting employment rights. Furthermore, individuals with assets, which ministers suggest could include items like cars and e-bikes, might be required to contribute toward their housing expenses.
Critics, including the Refugee Council, have voiced concern that the plan could increase homelessness among asylum seekers and transfer additional burdens onto local councils and the NHS. Imran Hussain, director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, emphasized that accelerating slow decision-making processes would be a more efficient strategy to lower costs. At the end of last year, over 107,000 people in the UK were receiving taxpayer-funded asylum support, with approximately 30,000 accommodated in hotels. The government intends to phase out the use of hotels by 2029 and relocate individuals to cheaper, larger sites such as former military bases
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