Labour's asylum plans are horribly cruel but they're also a mix of hype, old policy and unachievable promises | Diane Taylor

"If the home secretary's twin aims in making her controversial series of immigration reform announcements this week were to receive a ringing endorsement from the far right and to make migrants quake in their boots, she has succeeded possibly even exceeded her own expectations. The endorsement came on Saturday, courtesy of Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. In response to a post on X which predicted that Shabana Mahmood would announce that refugees will be granted only a temporary stay in the UK and deported if their home countries are later deemed safe, he posted: The Overton window has been obliterated, well done patriots."

"Meanwhile, asylum seekers and refugees I have spoken to are panicked, trembling and crying at the prospect of having to be uprooted once again after feeling safe in the UK, often after experiencing years of risk and danger. Since last Thursday, journalists have been receiving an average of one Home Office press release every few hours, each one focusing on a different aspect of what Mahmood has described as the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times."

"But a quick investigation below the surface of the eye-catching we-mean-business sloganising reveals a mix of recycling, hype and unachievable promises. According to the home secretary, support will end for those who game the system, while the days of a soft-touch asylum system are over because she is going to tear up refugees' golden ticket to the UK. There is mounting disquiet about all this among Labour voters and MPs."

"Mahmood has also been keen to stress Labour's success so far. Removals have increased, according to the Home Office, with 11,231 asylum-related returns in the year to November 2025. But many of these removals were to countries regarded as safe, such as Brazil and India, which have historically had very low asylum grant rates not a sign that officials are bundling out of the country thousands of asylum seekers who arrived from conflict zone"

Shabana Mahmood's immigration reform announcements combined hardline measures with frequent Home Office press releases, earning public praise from far-right figure Tommy Robinson and causing widespread fear among asylum seekers. Many refugees report panic at the prospect of being uprooted after years of danger and perceived safety in the UK. The reforms promise to end support for those who 'game the system' and abolish a 'soft-touch' asylum approach, but scrutiny reveals recycled policies, hype and commitments that may be unachievable. Official figures cite 11,231 asylum-related removals to November 2025, though many returns were to countries with historically low grant rates.

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