Asylum Reforms to Tackle ‘Significant Pull Factor’ Driving Illegal Migration: British PM Keir Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK’s current asylum regime is a “significant pull factor” to illegal immigration, an issue he said will be addressed through Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s reforms tabled in Parliament on Monday.

In a detailed policy document released ahead of Mahmood’s statement in the House of Commons, Starmer set out the case for wide-ranging changes, including a proposed 20-year period for refugees to gain settlement status and visa penalties for countries that refuse to take back their nationals who enter the UK through illegal routes.

“The UK’s current asylum regime is a significant pull factor to that (people smuggling) trade... which then also creates a strong and perverse incentive for migrants who have arrived legally to switch into the asylum system once here,” Starmer notes in his foreword.

“The case for reform is then devastatingly simple. That if we want to see fewer [English] Channel crossings, less exploitation and a fairer system with safe and legal routes, we need an approach with a stronger deterrent effect and rules that are robustly enforced,” he states.

Mahmood faced intense questioning from MPs as she presented the long-anticipated asylum reforms, heavily trailed over the weekend as signalling a shift towards the stringent Denmark model.

“These are significant reforms. They are designed to ensure that our asylum system is fit for the modern world,” said Mahmood.

“Reducing the number of arrivals is just half the story. We must also remove those who have no right to be here. In recent months we have begun voluntary removals of failed asylum seekers to Syria,” she said.

She named Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Namibia as the first countries to face penalties for failing to comply with the return of illegal immigrants from the UK, with more expected to be added.

The South Asian heritage minister delivered sharp responses when Opposition MPs challenged what they described as “immoderate language” used in the debate on immigration.

“I am the one who is regularly called a f***king P*ki and told to go back home. I know through my own experience and the experience of my constituents just how divisive asylum has become in our country,” Mahmood replied, later offering an apology for the expression used as an indirect reference.

Official UK Home Office data shows that since 2021, more than 4,00,000 people have claimed asylum in the country, with arrivals rising sharply while removals of illegal migrants have lagged behind.

“The impact on this country has been profound. Over 100,000 people now live in asylum accommodation, funded by the taxpayer,” Mahmood said.

Under the UK’s new asylum model, “just like in Denmark”, refugee status will become temporary, granted only until individuals can safely return home, and those with assets will be required to contribute to their accommodation.

“Genuine refugees will receive the protection they need. With control restored, we will open up new, capped routes for refugees for whom this country will be the first, safe haven they encounter,” Mahmood added.

(with PTI inputs)