Britain announced on Monday a major overhaul of its asylum system, aiming to make refugee status temporary and accelerate the deportation of those who arrive illegally. The changes are intended to curb abuses of the current system and counter the rising popularity of the populist Reform UK party.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood outlined plans to reinterpret the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), giving the government greater control over who can remain in the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, said the current asylum regime “is a significant pull factor” for migrants and is more permissive than other European countries.
The centre-left Labour government described the proposals as the most extensive asylum policy overhaul in recent history. Measures include extending the period refugees must wait to settle permanently from five to 20 years.
The government also threatened visa bans on Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless these countries accept the return of illegal migrants and criminals.
Immigration has become a key voter issue, particularly arrivals in small boats from France, which has boosted Reform UK, led by former anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage. Zia Yusuf, a senior Reform member, said the public is frustrated by illegal arrivals but questioned whether Mahmood’s proposals could pass Parliament.
Labour lawmaker Tony Vaughan criticized the plan, warning that the rhetoric risks fueling “the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities.”In the year ending March, 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK, a 17% increase from the previous year.
However, asylum claims remain lower than in France, Germany, Italy, or Spain. Most migrants arrive legally, and net migration fell from a record 906,000 in 2023 to 431,000 in 2024, partly due to tighter rules.
Mahmood acknowledged the proposals may face backlash within her party but said an asylum system prone to abuse is allowing “dark forces” to stir public anger, including protests outside migrant housing. “A country without secure borders is a less safe country for those who look like me,” she wrote in *The Guardian*.
The government plans to reinterpret ECHR Article 8, limiting family connections to immediate relatives, and review Article 3, which prohibits torture, arguing that its current interpretation is overly broad. Mahmood said the UK would take a “far more hard-headed approach” to removing people whose asylum claims are rejected, including families.
While the proposals stop short of leaving the ECHR, human rights groups remain critical. Sile Reynolds, head of asylum advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said the changes would “punish people who’ve already lost everything,” calling them inconsistent with British values.
