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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is moving forward with plans to reform the asylum and immigration system despite recent political setbacks, including Labour losing a previously secure seat in the Gorton and Denton by-election to the Green Party. The Greens have openly criticized Labour’s immigration policies, with their leader Zack Polanski claiming that the party’s rhetoric mirrors that of the far right. Additionally, the Green Party has advocated for granting asylum seekers the right to work.
According to a source close to Mahmood, the government should not misinterpret the by-election outcome, particularly the assumption that Muslim voters are turning away from Labour due to its immigration stance. There is concern that if Labour pulls back from Mahmood’s approach, the far right might take a more hostile position, potentially endangering the asylum system and the future viability of the Labour Party itself. Mahmood has emphasized that illegal immigration places serious pressure on the country and threatens the social contract between the government and its citizens.
This week, Mahmood traveled to reception and removal centres near Copenhagen in Denmark to observe the impact of that country’s stricter immigration policies firsthand. Denmark’s approach influenced Labour’s asylum reform proposals last autumn, and the home secretary is expected to begin rolling out some of these measures soon. Key elements include increasing the waiting period before migrants can apply for permanent residence—from five years to up to ten years—and extending refugees’ wait times to as long as twenty years. The proposed reforms also suggest offering only temporary protection to accepted asylum seekers and limiting the number of appeals that unsuccessful applicants may file.
Ahead of a speech next week, Mahmood plans to reinforce her commitment to a “firm and fair” immigration policy modeled on the Danish system, aiming to reduce illegal entries into the UK. However, this approach has faced resistance from within Labour, particularly from left-wing MPs like Richard Burgon, who argued it’s time to reject policies that mimic the Reform UK party and alienate traditional Labour voters. Meanwhile, Imran Hussain from the Refugee Council expressed doubts regarding these new rules, emphasizing that tough rhetoric has not produced effective results. He advocates for focusing on accelerating asylum decisions, speeding up appeals, and improving refugee integration. Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf criticized Mahmood’s efforts as ineffectual, asserting that true reform is impossible while the UK remains bound by the European Convention on Human Rights. Yusuf pledged that under a Reform government, the UK would promptly leave the ECHR, abolish indefinite leave to remain, impose visa bans on non-cooperative countries, and criminalize assistance with illegal entry regardless of intent
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