Shabana Mahmood set to make sweeping reforms to asylum system – UK politics live | Immigration and asylum
Government will make support for refugees ‘optional’
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics liveblog. My name is Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you the latest news this morning.
We start with this news Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce changes to the UK’s asylum system on Monday in a bid to quell growing fears about immigration.
The home secretary plans to change laws guaranteeing housing and financial support to asylum seekers who would otherwise remain destitute.
The government said the aid would become “discretionary”, meaning aid could be denied to those who are able to work or have assets.
Mahmood described the package of proposals as “the most comprehensive reforms to combat illegal immigration in modern times” and designed to “restore control and fairness in the system”.
He added: “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.”
However, it seems unlikely that the majority of asylum seekers currently receiving support will be affected by this situation. Government sources said the rules, which mean most asylum seekers are not allowed to have jobs, will not change.
Around 100,000 people receive asylum support in England, the vast majority of whom are housed by the state. Nearly a third remain in hotels, although Labor has pledged to end the practice by 2029.
Approximately 8,500 people staying in shelters have the right to work because they entered the country with a visa and later requested asylum.
Mahmood is doing his media tour on Sunday morning, so expect clarification from that shortly. But in the meantime, here’s our full story:
important events
Mahmood is asked if he is prime minister and should consider his position.
He says he “doesn’t have time” for empty words and that every minister has an important job to do.
“We must focus on serving the British people,” he says. “I don’t have time for things people say privately or anonymously.
“If people have something to say, they should have the courage to say it publicly.”
The government will create “safer routes” for people to seek asylum in the UK as a way of stopping small boats, the home secretary has said.
When asked about his own heritage, Mahmood said his parents came to England legally in the late 1960s and that it was a “moral duty” for him to do so.
“This is a broken system,” he says. “I’m not willing to stand back and watch my country be divided.”
Trevor Phillips asks Mahmood about the upcoming budget, but Mahmood says he won’t speculate on what the Chancellor will do.
Mahmood said that the government will announce tomorrow what it will do regarding Article 8 of the ECHR on people’s right to family life.
He is asked whether he would make it “genuinely uncomfortable” for asylum seekers to be in the UK and whether he aimed to create a “hostile environment”.
“I’m sending a clear signal to people: don’t get on the boat,” he says. “We want to prevent behavior that draws people dangerously into the canal.”
Mahmood told Sky News the government would make refugee status temporary, to be reviewed every two and a half years.
“This changes the way we look at refugee status,” he says.
He says one of the aspects of the UK that appeals to people is family reunification rights, which were halted by his predecessor.
“First of all, we are taking precautions against illegal work in this country and we announced that new checks will be issued with digital identity,” he says.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaks to Trevor Phillips on Sky News this morning and says she has had “good discussions” with French home ministers about plans to tackle the small boat crisis.
Mahmood says his proposals will change the way people think about taking small boats.
He says the ‘one in, one out’ policy shows organized people smugglers that it’s “not worth their time”.
“We have already blocked 20,000 channel crossings,” he says. “We need to reduce these pull factors… Illegal immigration is causing huge divisions in this country.”
Government will make support for refugees ‘optional’
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics liveblog. My name is Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you the latest news this morning.
We start with this news Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce changes to the UK’s asylum system on Monday in a bid to quell growing fears about immigration.
The home secretary plans to change laws guaranteeing housing and financial support to asylum seekers who would otherwise remain destitute.
The government said the aid would become “discretionary”, meaning aid could be denied to those who are able to work or have assets.
Mahmood described the package of proposals as “the most comprehensive reforms to combat illegal immigration in modern times” and designed to “restore control and fairness in the system”.
He added: “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.”
However, it seems unlikely that the majority of asylum seekers currently receiving support will be affected by this situation. Government sources said the rules, which mean most asylum seekers are not allowed to have jobs, will not change.
Around 100,000 people receive asylum support in England, the vast majority of whom are housed by the state. Nearly a third remain in hotels, although Labor has pledged to end the practice by 2029.
Approximately 8,500 people staying in shelters have the right to work because they entered the country with a visa and later requested asylum.
Mahmood is doing his media tour on Sunday morning, so expect clarification from that shortly. But in the meantime, here’s our full story:
