Shabana Mahmood tells MPs families are currently not being removed "even when we know their home country is perfectly safe".

The Bishop of Edmonton, Dr Anderson Jeremiah, said the Home Secretary’s comments had “shaken him to the core”. The Guardian quotes him saying: “We are scapegoating asylum seekers for the failures and political divisions caused by successive governments in the last 15 years – the failures of successive governments to address wealth inequality,

Britain to announce proposals on asylum with refugees facing longer waits and possible return to their countries.

People granted asylum in the UK will have to wait 20 years before they can apply to settle permanently, under plans due to be announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday. The major shake-up to asylum policy comes as the government seeks to reduce small boat crossings and asylum claims.

Britain announced a drastic asylum policy overhaul inspired by Denmark's tough immigration stance, marking the largest refugee system changes in modern times.

The Trump administration announced a drastic reduction on refugee admissions for fiscal 2026 as part of a tough-on-immigration approach, but a mixture of prior policies, a court challenge and the recent partial government shutdown have added to uncertainty over U.S. policy.

The language in the accompanying document published by the government was starker, arguing that the "hesitancy" to deport families "creates particularly perverse incentives" - namely, encouraging asylum seekers to bring children with them on the perilous journey across the Channel.

Britain plans to carry out the most significant reform of its asylum policy in modern times by making refugee status temporary and quadrupling the wait for permanent settlement to 20 years, as the Labour government confronts a “broken” asylum system that has fueled support for right-wing parties.