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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced sweeping asylum system reforms aimed at making the UK less attractive to asylum seekers, but faces a growing revolt from Labour backbenchers who have branded the proposals "dystopian" and "performatively cruel". At least 15 Labour MPs have publicly criticized the plans, which were unveiled in the House of Commons on Monday.
The government describes the measures as the "biggest shake-up of asylum laws since the Second World War". Key proposals include visa bans on countries refusing to take back illegal migrants, immediate return of refugees when countries are deemed safe, and a 20-year wait for settlement rights instead of the current system. Asylum seekers would receive only temporary protection with reviews every 30 months, and free accommodation and financial support would be revoked.
The Home Office will also introduce increased incentive payments for failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals to voluntarily leave the UK, currently up to £3,000. New powers would allow authorities to seize valuables like jewelry and cars to cover asylum hotel costs, though wedding rings and family heirlooms would be exempt. The government plans to deport families whose asylum claims have been rejected, a move explicitly detailed in the policy document "Restoring Order and Control".
Labour Rebellion Grows
The internal backlash has been swift and fierce. Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome challenged Mahmood during Home Office questions, saying: «The Denmark-style policies briefed in the last couple of days are dystopian.» She added: «It's shameful that a Labour government is ripping up the rights and protections of people who have endured unimaginable trauma. Is this how we'd want to be treated if we were fleeing for our lives? Of course, not.»
Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy wrote in The Guardian: «This is not just performatively cruel, it's economically misjudged.» She argued: «It doesn't have to be like this. There is a better way forward rooted in Labour values that also ensures control at our borders.»
Labour MP Simon Opher said: «We should push back on the racist agenda of Reform rather than echo it.» Tony Vaughan warned the proposals «encourage the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities». He added: «The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong. We absolutely need immigration controls. And where those controls decide to grant asylum, we should welcome and integrate, not create perpetual limbo and alienation».
Tommy Robinson Endorsement Sparks Controversy
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson welcomed the reforms on social media, writing: «The Overton window has been obliterated, well done patriots.» The endorsement prompted Whittome to ask: «How can we be adopting such obviously cruel policies? Is the home secretary proud that the government has sunk such that it is now being praised by Tommy Robinson?»
Mahmood responded: «I'm disappointed at the nature of the question from my friend. I hope she will look at the detail of the reforms, and what I've said already on these matters is that we have a problem, that it is our moral duty to fix, our asylum system is broken.» She added: «The breaking of that asylum system is causing huge division across our whole country.»
Government Defends Reforms
Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the changes, saying: «If we want to see fewer 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.»
Mahmood argued the UK was viewed as more attractive than other European nations. She told the Commons: «While some are genuine refugees, others are economic migrants, seeking to take advantage of the asylum system. Even amongst those who are genuine refugees, economic incentives are at play.» She claimed: «Instead of stopping at the first safe country even genuine refugees are searching for the most attractive place to seek refuge, many now 'asylum shop' their way across the continent, in search of the most attractive place to seek refuge.»
The Prime Minister's official spokesperson told reporters: «For too long Britain has lived with an asylum system that is broken... The broken system undermined trust and left genuine refugees trapped in limbo, which is not fair on anyone involved.» The spokesperson insisted the plans were «common sense plans to restore control and order to our borders» and denied the government was «chasing hard-right voters».
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch offered Conservative support, noting: «We can see that their Labour backbenchers don't like this, so I have offered that we will support the government in going in the right direction,»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
