Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has launched a robust defence of the government's plans to overhaul what she describes as the UK's 'broken' asylum system, while firmly rejecting accusations that the proposed measures are racist.
Moral Mission to Heal Divisions
In a significant interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Home Secretary revealed that illegal migration is creating huge divides across the country, polarising communities and making people 'estranged from one another'. Ms Mahmood, who is herself the child of immigrants, framed the proposed changes as a 'moral mission' essential for maintaining public consent for the asylum system itself.
'I do believe we need to act if we are to retain public consent for having an asylum system at all,' she stated, addressing concerns that the government had been panicked into adopting harsh policies.
Denmark-Inspired Measures to be Announced
The government is set to announce a series of reforms on Monday, drawing significant inspiration from Denmark's immigration model. Key expected changes include:
- Granting temporary asylum status subject to regular review, rather than the current five-year pathway.
- Revoking the statutory legal duty to provide asylum seeker support, including housing and weekly allowances.
- Creating new, safe and legal routes to the UK to deter dangerous small boat crossings.
However, Ms Mahmood clarified that the UK would not be adopting Denmark's full system, specifically ruling out policies that restrict housing based on ethnic minority percentages in an area. 'That's not the sort of country that we are,' she affirmed.
Addressing the ECHR and Political Pressure
Alongside the Danish-style measures, the Home Secretary confirmed plans to reform aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which she said had been used to 'frustrate the removal' of individuals with no right to remain in the UK.
The move comes amid political pressure from Reform UK, which has advocated for deporting people who already have indefinite leave to remain. While dismissing claims of promoting 'right-wing talking points', Ms Mahmood acknowledged the government has a 'genuine problem to fix' and that public anger over the issue is real.
In response, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised Labour's plans as a 'series of gimmicks', reiterating his party's call to leave the ECHR entirely and deport illegal immigrants within a week of arrival.
