The British Labour government has announced that it will take measures to limit the influx of migrants to the United Kingdom, such as reducing protection for refugees and aid for asylum seekers, in an effort to counter the rise of the far-right anti-immigrant movement.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said in a statement that “this country has a long tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is attracting illegal immigrants across the English Channel.”

The ministry revealed two key measures in two statements, pending the presentation of its detailed plan to parliament on Monday.

The first measure involves reducing the protection granted to refugees who “will be forced to return to their countries once they are deemed safe.”

The minister said that a “golden ticket” had caused a sharp rise in asylum applications in the UK, prompting people to cross Europe through safe countries to board flimsy boats, adding: “I will put an end to this golden ticket.”

The ministry explained that “thanks to much more generous conditions in the United Kingdom,” refugees can now stay in the country for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite residency “without having contributed” to the country, and subsequently obtain citizenship.

The new system will reduce the five years to thirty months, and will increase the time required before applying for permanent residency from five years to twenty years.

The ministry stressed that refugees wishing to obtain permanent residency more quickly “will have to work or study.”

The second measure announced is the cancellation of social assistance that is automatically granted to asylum seekers, such as housing and financial allowances.

The Interior Ministry noted that the government intends to cancel these benefits “for those who are entitled to work and can provide for themselves but choose not to do so, or for those who violate the law.”

Demonstrations

The Keir Starmer government, which took office in July 2024, is under constant pressure to limit the influx of immigrants and curtail their rights, facing the Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage, which has made immigration its main issue and is significantly ahead of the Labour Party in opinion polls.

This summer, demonstrations took place outside hotels housing asylum seekers, notably a far-right demonstration in mid-September in London, which, according to police, drew up to 150,000 people.

In this context, the government promised to reduce the number of refugees crossing the English Channel in unsafe boats, but has not yet been able to achieve this.

Since the beginning of the year, 39,393 illegal immigrants have reached Britain's shores via the Channel, a figure that exceeds the total number recorded during the whole of 2024, which was 36,816 immigrants.

Asylum applications in the UK rose by 18% in 2024, while they fell by 13% across the EU as a whole, according to government figures. More than 400,000 asylum applications have been registered since 2021, compared to 150,000 between 2011 and 2015, according to official data.

– The Danish model –

The ministry said it drew inspiration for the reforms from the Danish system.

The Scandinavian country of six million people adopts a strict asylum policy, generally granting refugees a renewable two-year residence permit, but encouraging them to return to their countries of origin once the authorities deem that they no longer need protection.

Family reunification is also subject to strict standards, including language tests for newcomers.

In the United Kingdom, the demand to limit protection measures for refugees has so far been limited to Farage, who announced that if he comes to power he intends to require immigrants to apply for a visa every five years, including immigrants in a legal status.

But the left wing of the Labour Party announced its opposition to such restrictions, and warned the party that it would lose a lot of support among voters if they were passed, at a time when the organization is falling to its lowest levels in opinion polls.