Interior Minister takes action
“Migration is out of control”
November 16, 2025 – 7:34 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
For months, right-wing populist Nigel Farage has been pushing the Labor government ahead of him, particularly on the issue of migration. Now the Interior Minister is announcing a change of course.
Great Britain has announced a far-reaching reform of its asylum system. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood wants to present what is probably the most comprehensive change in decades in parliament on Monday. She told Britain’s Sunday Times: “I will abolish Britain’s golden passport for asylum seekers.”
In the future, the reforms will only apply to newly arrived migrants. Asylum seekers who could work but do not should no longer receive state benefits such as accommodation or financial aid. The right to support should also no longer apply in the event of crimes. The legal obligation to provide asylum support from 2005 is to be deleted. “We want them to work,” explained Mahmood.
Another significant innovation is that refugee status, which was previously valid for five years, will in future be limited to 30 months. This protection should be checked regularly. Migrants would have to return to their countries of origin as soon as they are considered safe. A permanent residence permit should only be possible after 20 years instead of the current five. Anyone who enters the country illegally or applies for asylum with an expired visa should be largely excluded from a permanent right to remain.
The Labor government’s reform plans follow a significant increase in asylum numbers. According to government figures, around 111,000 asylum applications had been submitted by June this year. In total, more than 170,000 people received permanent residence permits last year up to March 2025.
Interior Minister Mahmood told the Sunday Times: “I see a system that is unfair and puts pressure on our communities.” Britain’s generous rules would attract migrants traveling across the EU to board boats in northern France. With the new rules she wants to signal to these people: “This trip is not worth it.”
Based on the Danish model, the asylum system should have a more deterrent effect. In Denmark, the number of asylum applications has fallen to its lowest level in 40 years after tightening the rules. Mahmood also plans to hold a debate on Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which have often prevented deportations.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is under great pressure due to poor poll numbers. Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party is currently clearly leading in the polls. Starmer recently emphasized that he would end the “experiment of open borders” and stop illegal migration. The next UK election is scheduled for 2029.
Mahmood’s reform plans are also resisting criticism from within his own ranks. MPs from the left wing of the party described the plans as racist. MP Nadia Whittome accused the government of pursuing a “politics of the extreme right”. Human rights organizations warned that the planned cuts could cause great hardship to those affected.
