The United Kingdom will drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, the Labour government announced late Saturday. The new plans aim to slash irregular immigration and counter the hard-right, and are modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces pressure from the surging popularity of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party. “I’ll end UK’s golden ticket for asylum seekers,” declared Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood in a statement.
Currently, those granted refugee status in the UK receive it for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship. However, the Home Office announced it will cut the length of refugee status to 30 months. This protection will be “regularly reviewed,” and refugees will be required to return to their home countries once deemed safe.
Additionally, the ministry plans to extend the wait time for refugees granted asylum to apply for long-term residency from five years to 20 years.
Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with approximately 111,000 applications made in the year leading to June 2025, according to official figures. The Home Office called these proposals the “largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times,” stating the reforms aim to make the UK less attractive to irregular migrants and facilitate the removal of those already in the country.
One significant change includes revoking a statutory legal duty, introduced in 2005, to provide support to asylum seekers. This means housing and weekly financial allowances will no longer be guaranteed, becoming discretionary. The government may deny assistance to asylum seekers who can work or support themselves but do not, or those who commit crimes.
Since his election last summer, Starmer has been under pressure to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats from France, an issue that also troubled his Conservative predecessors. More than 39,000 people—many fleeing conflict—have made these dangerous journeys so far this year, surpassing the total arrivals in 2024 but remaining below the 2022 record.
These crossings have boosted the popularity of Reform UK, led by firebrand Nigel Farage. The party has maintained double-digit leads over Labour in opinion polls for most of this year.
Labour’s approach is inspired by Denmark’s coalition government, led by the center-left Social Democrats, which enforces some of the strictest migration policies in Europe. In Denmark, refugees receive a one-year renewable residency permit and are encouraged to return home as soon as safe conditions prevail. Family reunions are also tightly regulated, with strict requirements such as minimum parental age, language tests, and financial guarantees.
The UK government is expected to tighten rules around family reunions similarly.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the UK government to reconsider. He warned the measures “will not deter” irregular crossings and called for policies that allow refugees who “work hard and contribute to Britain” to build secure, settled lives and give back to their communities.
Meanwhile, Labour’s more left-wing lawmakers are likely to oppose the plans, fearing the party risks losing voters to progressive alternatives like the Greens.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-k-plans-to-drastically-reduce-protections-for-refugees-overhaul-asylum-policies/
