Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has delivered a stark admission that illegal immigration numbers remain 'too high' under the Labour government, while simultaneously launching a sweeping overhaul of Britain's asylum system.
Major Policy Shift on Immigration
On Monday 17th November 2025, the Home Secretary unveiled what she termed a 'restoring order and control' plan representing a significant new direction in Labour's approach to migration. The comprehensive strategy includes multiple bold measures aimed at tackling what Ms Mahmood described as an unacceptable situation.
The home secretary expressed being 'horrified' by the 27% increase in irregular arrivals recorded in the year to June. Speaking with Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby, she acknowledged: 'I acknowledge the numbers are too high, and they've gone up, and I want to bring them down. I'm impatient to bring those numbers down.'
Key Measures in New Asylum Plan
The detailed policy announcement includes several controversial elements that mark a departure from previous approaches. Under the new system, refugee status will become temporary, lasting only two and a half years before review.
Migrants would need to be in the UK for 20 years rather than the current five before qualifying for permanent settled status. The plan also involves more children facing deportation, reforming how the European Convention on Human Rights is interpreted in immigration cases, implementing visa bans for countries refusing to accept deportees, and establishing new safe and legal refugee routes.
Political Clash with Farage
The announcement prompted immediate political controversy when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the Home Secretary's plan resembled policies his party would advocate. Mr Farage suggested Ms Mahmood sounded like a Reform supporter, drawing a characteristically blunt response.
The Home Secretary told Sky News: 'Nigel Farage can sod off. I'm not interested in anything he's got to say. He's making mischief. So I'm not going to let him live forever in my head.'
Ms Mahmood distinguished her approach from Reform's proposals, noting that while her plan extends the path to settlement, Reform wanted to 'rip up' indefinite leave to remain altogether - something she called 'immoral' and 'deeply shameful'.
During her Commons statement, the Home Secretary - a practising Muslim born in Birmingham to Pakistani parents - revealed the personal dimension of the immigration debate, telling MPs she regularly endures racial slurs and sees the division that migration and the asylum system are creating across the country.
Despite her determination to reduce numbers, Ms Mahmood refused to 'set arbitrary numbers' on her reduction targets, emphasizing instead a comprehensive approach through the newly announced measures.
