Shabana Mahmood’s immigration and asylum bill to go before MPs next week | Immigration and asylum

Shabana Mahmood’s controversial plans to step up forced deportations of people rejected for asylum, introduce strict age checks for people claiming to be children and limit applications under human rights laws are due to be laid before MPs within days.

The immigration and asylum bill is expected to be introduced to parliament next Tuesday and will face opposition from some Labor, Liberal Democrats and independent MPs. Andy Burnham’s team are understood to be aware of the bill and its contents, with the team expected to rank 10th within weeks.

The legislation is expected to guide how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will be applied in immigration and deportation cases.

Mahmood has previously claimed that the right to family life has been used in some cases to prevent removals and undermine public confidence in the rule of law.

The bill is also expected to include plans to strengthen age assessments. A recent report by a coalition of refugee and children’s rights organizations said the government’s proposal to use artificial intelligence to estimate the age of asylum seekers could create new risks for children.

It will outline a new structure for asylum courts, abolishing an independent court system and replacing it with a new appeals body housed within the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is also expected to allow for the “immediate forcible removal of those who have exhausted all objections.”

Whitehall sources said the modern slavery framework would also be changed to stop claims being submitted late.

The bill will not introduce new rules that would double the time required to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for most migrant workers, from five to 10 years.

The planned rules will apply retroactively to beneficiaries already in the UK; This sparked a backlash, with nearly 100 Labor MPs, including Angela Rayner, saying it was unfair and un-British.

It is understood that the ILR changes are not part of the bill but could be introduced through secondary legislation.

Refugee aid organizations expressed concern that the bill was signed into law so quickly.

Jo Cobley, chief executive of Safe Passage International, said: “We expected this bill to be introduced once a new prime minister was confirmed, but it appears the home secretary is determined to push through these tough plans for refugees.

“We are deeply concerned about these changes, especially the anticipated restrictions on family reunification for refugees. The unaccompanied children and families we work with, torn apart by war and persecution, need to be able to come together again as a family and receive the protection they need.”

“If the government wants to gain greater control over its own asylum system by preventing Channel crossings, it must start by offering refugees protection and safe ways to reach family.”

Anita Hurrell, co-chair of the Refugee and Migrant Children Consortium, said: “We are concerned about how the measures expected to be included in next week’s immigration and asylum bill will affect children, including child victims of modern slavery.

“We are concerned about whether they can penalize a child for making a late disclosure or exclude from support children who have been abused outside the UK. “We are also concerned about how the tightening of the definition of family life and the public interest test may affect the ability of children and young people, including bereaved and differently-abled children, to be reunited with and remain with their families.

“Age assessment measures the risk of more children being wrongly assessed as adults in the confusing and unsafe adult asylum system. The enactment of a new appeals body is also concerning for access to justice, particularly when the government has not yet published its response to recent consultations. We call on the government to take children into account and undertake and publish a child rights impact assessment.”