Starmer facing backlash from Labour MPs over ‘cruel’ asylum reforms
Sir Keir Starmer and the home secretary are facing a furious backlash over plans to strengthen Britain’s asylum system. Labor MPs describe the new rules as “disgusting” and “cruel in implementation”.
Shabana Mahmood on Monday announced a series of tough measures aimed at discouraging asylum seekers and making it easier to deport those who do not have the right to remain in the country.
The Prime Minister said the current system was not designed to cope with a “more unstable and insecure” world; But Ms Mahmood’s announcement has gone much further than many in Labor feared and is already facing resistance from hardliners.
Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe and a former immigration lawyer, said the ministers’ rhetoric was “encouraging the same divisive culture that has seen racism and abuse rise in our societies” and warned: “We have gone down the wrong path.”
Mr Vaughan said plans to review the status of refugees every few years would “divert a huge amount of resources away from the functioning of our asylum system”.
Sarah Owen, chair of the women and equalities committee, described the policies as “disgusting”, while Walthamstow Labor MP Stella Creasy said the changes were “draconian in terms of performance”, adding: “It doesn’t have to be this way. There is a better way forward, based on Labor values, which also provides control of our borders.”
The Conservatives have jumped on the Labor Party split, with their leader Kemi Badenoch making a “genuine offer” to help controversial measures pass parliament but saying he suspects Labor MPs “will reject it”. Referring to the welfare rebellion and Sir Keir’s earlier U-turn, he said: “From what I can see his grip on the party has not strengthened very much.”
While many MPs appear resigned to the need to crack down on Nigel Farage and the threat of Reform, there are concerns that Ms Mahmood’s changes – backed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, among others – go too far and will worsen divisions within communities.
Precautions include:
- Reducing the amount of time refugees are allowed to stay in the UK from an initial five years to 30 months.
- Offering people cash to return to their original country.
- Refugees will have to spend 20 years in the UK before being allowed to apply for settled status
- Refugees will not automatically be granted the right to family reunification.
- Asylum seekers who have assets will have to contribute to their expenses, and housing and weekly benefits will no longer be guaranteed.
- Families with children may also be subject to mandatory returns as part of measures aimed at removing people who cannot apply for asylum.
- Limits will also be placed on the number of people coming from safe routes “depending on the capacity of the communities”.
The plans also reveal Home Office officials are exploring overseas “return centres” to house asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected and all their applications have been rejected; It’s a move reminiscent of the Conservative Party’s much-criticized Rwanda policy.
Ms Mahmood denied any similarities to the “failed Rwandan system” but during her statement was kept under constant pressure from Labor MPs over the measures. At one point he apologized for quoting racist language used against him, but insisted: “I know the British people do not want to close the doors, but until we restore order and control those who seek to divide us will become stronger. As a Labor government it is our duty to unite where there is division.”
The plans are outlined in a document titled “Restoring Order and Control”, which sets out ways to overhaul the asylum system.
The document stated that since the fall of the Assad regime last December, many Syrians have been supported to return voluntarily to their home country.
“We are exploring the resumption of forced repatriations to countries where we have not routinely carried out such removals in recent years, including Syria,” the statement said.
Families with children may also be subject to mandatory repatriation as part of the measures, and the government is launching a consultation on how this should be done.
The document stated that 700 Albanians, who did not have the right to be in England, managed to stay because of their right to reunite with their families.
Anger among Labor MPs is increasing pressure on Sir Keir as he braces for next week’s budget crunch. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who came under a briefing attack from Downing Street last week, are believed to be preparing for a possible leadership contest. Another name in the mix is Ms. Mahmood, who is seen as the defender of the party’s rights.
But even before the announcement, some on the left of the party had spoken out against the asylum measures. Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome described them as “dystopian” and said: “The government should be ashamed that its immigration policies are being applauded by Tommy Robinson and Reform. Rather than countering anti-immigrant hatred, it is laying the groundwork for the far right. I ask the Home Secretary how he can propose such clearly cruel policies.”
