The Labour government of Keir Starmer is under severe pressure due to its sharply reduced popularity, as evidenced by recent opinion polls. The cabinet has now announced that it will further tighten migration policy. According to information from the Home Office, this is the “biggest reform of asylum policy“ in the country's recent history.
Refugee status - shortened in time, benefits - cut
The core of the reform announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood: shortening refugee status to a maximum of 30 months, during which it will be “currently subject to review“. And refugees will have to return to their home countries once they are declared “safe”. Britain currently grants refugee status for a period of five years, after which migrants can apply for the right to stay indefinitely in the country, and then apply for British citizenship, explains the ARD.
“This country has a proud tradition of accepting those fleeing danger, but this generosity is attracting illegal migrants across the Channel, “ said Mahmoud. According to the minister, the people in question were passing through “safe countries“ and then heading to the UK.
"Policy of scapegoats and false debates"
The minister also announced that the current legal obligation to support some people seeking asylum - for example, by providing housing and weekly payments - will be abolished. In future, such assistance will be granted at the discretion of the authorities and can be refused if the asylum seekers are able to support themselves or if they have committed crimes.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, more than 100 British organizations appealed for an end to “policy of scapegoats and false debates that only cause harm“. The British Refugee Council said refugees were coming to the UK because of family ties or language skills, not because they were comparing conditions in asylum systems.
Right-wing populists put Labour under pressure
The number of asylum applications in the UK has recently reached record levels. In the 12 months to March 2025, a total of 109,443 asylum applications were submitted - a 17% increase on the previous year, the ARD explains.
The announced reforms in the UK will be carried out on the model adopted in Denmark, which has tightened its asylum policy. Human rights groups accuse the Danish authorities of creating a hostile atmosphere towards migrants through their policies.
In opinion polls in Britain, the ruling Labour Party lags significantly behind the right-wing populist Reform UK party of Nigel Farage, who is an outspoken supporter of anti-immigration policies.