Shabana Mahmood Warns Hatred Will Grow If Labour Doesn't Deal With Illegal Immigration
Mahmood said the government "must acknowledge that the world has changed" (Alamy)
5 min read
Shabana Mahmood has warned that "hatred" will rise across the country unless the government tackles illegal immigration.
The Home Secretary sought to face down Labour MPs who have accused the government of going too far in its new package of measures designed to deter small boat crossings.
Under the Denmark-inspired proposals announced on Monday, those granted asylum will only be allowed to stay in the UK temporarily.
The initial five-year period of leave refugees receive will be reduced to 30 months (two and a half years), which will only be renewed “if they are still considered in need of protection”.
The plans also include quadrupling the number of years before a refugee can apply for indefinite leave to remain from five to 20 years, reforming articles three and eight of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and threatening countries with Trump administration-style visa bans if they do not accept the return of illegal migrants.
Mahmood also announced plans to enforce the removal of families, including children, where asylum claims are rejected.
The Home Office will also introduce a new Protection Work and Study visa route to allow refugees to become eligible to ‘earn’ settlement sooner, as well as end the legal duty to provide financial support to asylum seekers.
Mahmood, who replaced Yvette Cooper in the Home Office in the September reshuffle, has described the package of measures as the most significant change to UK asylum law in a generation.
Labour government figures believe the party must be seen as properly tackling illegal migration to have a chance of staying in power at the next general election.
There is also a fear that public support for legal forms of migration will fall unless the government can show it has greater control of the borders.
In a foreword to the policy paper published today, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the case for reform of the current system is "devastatingly simple" and if the country wants to see fewer people crossing the English Channel and a fairer system, "we need an approach with a stronger deterrent effect and rules that are robustly enforced".
PoliticsHome understands that the Home Office will be offering drop-in sessions for Labour MPs in the coming weeks to discuss the proposals in more detail.
However, a number of Labour backbenchers have already broken ranks to publicly criticise the government's proposals.
There is particular concern among Labour MPs about the plan to reassess the refugee status of individuals every two and a half years, PoliticsHome understands.
Olivia Blake, the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, told PoliticsHome that “the human cost of these reforms cannot be overstated”.
She added that the policies would “punish refugees…weaken communities, erode trust, and fail to reflect the values of a compassionate, confident country”.
Meanwhile, Labour MP Neil Duncan Jordan told PoliticsHome that “trying to steal votes from Reform is an electoral dead end”.
“My taxi driver this morning told me that after 20 years living in this country, he no longer felt welcome, despite paying his taxes and making a contribution to the local community.”
Rebel MPs told PoliticsHome that conversations with whips were already underway with but that no concessions have been offered at the time of writing.
Supportive Labour MPs argue that the need for the government to tackle small boats is unavoidable, with one loyalist expressing confidence that any backbench rebellion "will be contained". They told PoliticsHome: “Either we do this, or the British people will replace us with someone who will go much further."
Former minister Justin Madders told Times Radio that “unless we can persuade people we can control our borders, we're not going to get a hearing on anything else".
Several backbench MPs have already raised concerns about Mahmood's reforms (Alamy)
Labour MP Sarah Owen, who is chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, raised concerns on Monday about suggestions that jewellery and valuables belonging to refugees could be seized under the new rules.
But Mahmood insisted in the Commons today that "we are not taking jewellery at the border".
"We will not and never will seize people's jewellery at the border, we're not going after their sentimental items like wedding rings and so on. We are talking about those who have high-value assets who receive at the moment, having claimed asylum in this country... they receive free accommodation."
Mahmood said that refugees with assets should contribute to the cost of their accommodation.
In response to concerns raised by Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, Max Wilkinson, Mahmood said: "I wish I had the privilege of walking around this country and not seeing the division that the issue of migration and asylum system is creating across this country."
Mahmood, who is the child of legal migrants, added that she is "regularly" called a racial slur and told to "go back home".
Tory Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said the package was "not enough, but it is a start" and offered to work with the Labour government to address the issue. "I genuinely hope she succeeds," she told the Home Secretary.
She praised Mahmood for “bringing fresh energy and a clearer focus to this problem”, saying “she has got more done in 70 days in the job than her predecessor [Yvette Cooper] did in a year”.
Additional reporting by Sienna Rodgers.
