Asylum seekers to lose housing and benefit rights under Labour immigration system overhaul
Asylum seekers could automatically lose their right to housing and financial support due to Labour’s radical crackdown on immigration.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will show a move away from EU law as she announces plans to scrap the UK’s legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers; Immigrants will also face stricter requirements for receiving and maintaining assistance.
It is part of a major overhaul of the immigration system inspired by the Danish model and comes as Labor struggles to restore confidence in the asylum system to stave off the threat of a Reform government in the UK. But Ms Mahmood may face objections from some Labor supporters as immigration reform is seen as a divisive issue within the party.
Ahead of the home secretary’s speech announcing the reforms on Monday, the Home Office said there would be “no more support” for asylum seekers and promised automatic benefits to those seeking asylum would “end”.
The announcement is being billed by the government as the biggest change to asylum policy in modern times and a move to “restore order” to the rules.
Ministers hope this will reduce the incentive for small boat migrants to seek asylum in the UK; Home Office officials insist Britain will no longer be a “magnet for illegal immigrants” looking to take advantage.
Outlining her changes, Ms Mahmood said the “speed and scale of migration” was putting “enormous pressure” on communities.
He said: “This country has a proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is drawing illegal immigrants across the channel.
“The speed and scale of migration is putting huge pressure on communities.
“This week I will announce the most sweeping changes to our asylum system in a generation. We will restore order and control at our borders.”
The legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers was introduced in the UK under EU law in 2005.
Currently, support includes the right to somewhere to live, as well as a weekly payment of £49.18 per person per household to cover the cost of food, clothing and toiletries. If meals are provided in the accommodation, there is a charge of £9.95 per person per week. There are small increases for pregnant women and young children.
The Home Office said support could be removed from people who are able to work under Ms Mahmood’s plans, have assets, disobey removal orders, commit a crime, disrupt accommodation or work illegally.
The changes will apply to people already in the asylum support system, as well as anyone applying in the future; This means those already in the UK may have their support withdrawn.
Meanwhile, officials also said taxpayer-funded aid would be prioritized for those who “contribute to the economy and communities.”
The changes expected to be announced on Monday include a move to require judges to prioritize public safety over migrants’ right to family life, as well as a push to scrap permanent asylum in Britain.
Under current rules, those who have been granted refugee status can apply for indefinite leave to remain and have refugee status for five years. However, according to the expected proposals, refugees will be deported once their countries become safe.
The statement came after Home Office officials visited Copenhagen as part of their attempt to gain insight into Denmark’s asylum policy, where a government with a political orientation similar to Labour’s has taken a hard-line approach to asylum.
The country is also a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, which has been criticized in the past for hindering or slowing efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
The Scandinavian country has reduced the number of asylum applications to its lowest level in 40 years and withdrawn 95 percent of rejected asylum seekers, according to the Home Office.
The Conservative Party said some of the new measures were “welcome” but that they “fall far short of what is actually needed and some are more gimmicks, like the previous ‘gang-smashing’ gimmick”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “The reality is that this Labor government is incapable of getting past its left-wing backbenchers and achieving real change, especially after the poor example they set with the debacle of failed welfare reforms.”
As Reform’s poll numbers continue to rise, workers are coming under pressure over immigration.
Nigel Farage’s party is on 26 per cent in this week’s latest YouGov Westminster voting intention figures, leaving Labor behind on 19 per cent and just ahead of the Tories on 18 per cent.
It is the latest in a series of crackdowns, including the immigration white paper earlier this year designed to curb legal immigration.
Under plans announced in May, legal immigrants will be required to spend 10 years in the UK before applying for citizenship, and language requirements for those referred to the UK will be increased.
The number of asylum applications in the UK is at a record high; Latest Home Office figures show 111,084 people have applied for asylum by June 2025.
This is the highest figure seen in the last 12 months since records began in 2001.
