Government announces new plans for asylum seekers

The UK Government has announced new plans for how it will deal with asylum seekers and illegal migrants.

Speaking to Members of Parliament (MPs), Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that under the measures, asylum seekers will have to wait longer before they can settle in the UK permanently.

They could also be returned home if their country is considered safe during that time and financial support could be removed from families whose attempts to stay have failed.

The home secretary says she hopes her plans will reduce the number of people arriving and remaining in the UK, help the government to manage the system better, and reduce anger from people who think the current situation isn't fair.

While she has had support from some politicians, she's also faced criticism from some opposition parties and also from inside her own Labour Party, and some charities which help asylum seekers have urged her to think again.

What's the background?

The numbers of people coming to the UK and claiming asylum are at a record high, with around 111,000 applications in the year to June 2025, according to official figures.

As of 21 October, 36,734 people had arrived in the UK without permission on small boats this year.

There are different reasons why people might try to come to the UK this way, including some people seeking asylum after fleeing war or persecution in their home country.

Others are looking for work or a better life, but you can't claim asylum in the UK for those reasons.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously described the situation with small boat crossings a "crisis" and promised to reduce the number of crossings by cracking down on the criminal gangs that organise them.

However, the government say they also want to make it less attractive for people to come here this way in the first place, and part of that is by making the rules stricter about who can stay and why, and about the support they get.

What's been announced?

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that the United Kingdom must restore "order and control" over borders

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that the new plans are the biggest changes to tackle illegal migration "in modern times".

People who are granted asylum in the UK will only be able to stay temporarily, with their cases looked at every 30 months.

If their home country is judged to have become "safe" during that time, they could be told they have to return there.

Refugees will need to be here for 20 years before they can ask to stay permanently, rather than for five years as it is now.

The UK government is considering a ban on people from certain countries coming to the UK at all, unless they accept the return of criminals and illegal immigrants.

Also part of the plans are changes to the law meaning they have to provide some types of support to asylum seekers.

This means that housing costs and weekly pay will no longer be guaranteed to asylum seekers who have the right to work or can support themselves - but choose not to - or to those who have committed crimes.

MPs will vote in Parliament on some parts of the new rules in the coming months.

What have people said about the plans ?

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch urged the home secretary to work with her Party to get their support

Ms Mahmood says she hopes the new measures will put migrants off from making the dangerous crossing of the English Channel from France to the UK on small boats.

"If we fail to deal with this crisis, we will draw more people down a path that starts with anger and ends in hatred," said Ms Mahmood, adding: "If we don't win this argument… we will lose public support for having an asylum system at all."

Some Labour MPs have expressed support for the plans, saying that the home secretary was "going down the right track" and that the system had to be fair "otherwise it'll collapse".

However not all of her own MPs feel the same way. So far, around 20 Labour MPs have criticised the plans, calling them "morally wrong" and "cruel".

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who leads the opposition to the government, said the proposals were small "positive" steps and urged Ms Mahmood to work with her party and get their support.

The Scottish government has said it is "deeply concerned" about the plans and charities who support asylum seekers have criticised them.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to reconsider, warning the plans "will not deter" crossings, and that refugees who work hard should be able to build "secure, settled lives".

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage praised Ms Mahmood's "strong language" but said he had "serious doubts" her plans would survive objections from Labour MPs or human rights laws.

The Liberal Democrats said they had "concerns" with some parts of the plans, and their spokesperson Max Wilkinson said the government should "focus on processing claims quickly, getting them right first time, and swiftly deporting people with no right to be here."

Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader of England and Wales, told the BBC the plans were "extreme" and "inhumane" and said: "Every single Labour MP needs to look to their conscience."