Under the new rules, those who commit crimes or work illegally will be removed from asylum support and lose cash handouts, multiple outlets reported. Officials predicted that 30,000 migrants could lose support under the measures, while around 9,000 were caught working illegally last year, according to media reports citing official figures. It remains unclear how the conditional support system will be implemented and enforced, and what criteria will determine loss of support.
Separately, officials indicated that up to 21,000 migrants could be granted the right to work because they have waited more than 12 months for their asylum claim. Home Office figures showed 107,003 people are currently supported by taxpayers, including 30,657 in asylum accommodation and 68,538 in dispersal accommodation, a rise from 66,232 three months ago. Among them, 4,577 failed asylum seekers who have exhausted all claims and appeals are still living in taxpayer-funded accommodation, according to multiple outlets. The fate of these individuals, as well as the 30,000 predicted to lose support, remains uncertain with no clear plan for their relocation.
Labour has deported only 6 per cent of illegal arrivals since coming to office.
To cope with the numbers, Labour plans to use former military bases, convert former hospitals, student digs, and office blocks into migrant housing, and pay councils to buy homes to lease to accommodation providers, multiple reports said. According to the Evening Standard, a Government source described how the generosity of the asylum system is attracting migrants, funding human traffickers, and encouraging false claims. The source added that unless migration is cut, the country risks anti-immigration riots and far-right chaos.
But the plans have sparked internal tensions within the governing party. A left-wing Labour MP told the BBC the proposal was too 'hardcore' and contained echoes of the far right, while multiple outlets reported that Ms Mahmood faces a possible backbench revolt over the legislation. At Labour's conference in September, she promised to 'do whatever it takes to regain control of Britain's borders.'
At the current rate it will take decades to clear the backlog of failed asylum seekers and Labour has no deterrent.
The inspiration comes from Denmark, which has one of Europe's toughest asylum systems. Ms Mahmood sent senior Home Office officials to Copenhagen last month to study its approach, sources said. Denmark has the lowest asylum applications in 40 years, excluding 2020, and removes 95% of rejected seekers. Most people granted asylum there are only allowed to stay temporarily and face return when the government deems their home country safe.
Denmark's system also includes tight family reunion rules, requiring both partners to be at least 24, the resident partner to have no benefit claims for three years, a financial guarantee, and a Danish language test. Refugees living in housing estates designated as 'parallel societies' with over 50% non-Western background are barred from family reunion, and the state can sell off or demolish such blocks. For longer-term residents, settling rights have been extended and now require full-time employment, according to research on the Danish model.
They have presided over an invasion of Britain and are operating an open borders policy.
While Labour looks to Denmark, the right-wing Reform UK party has outlined far more radical plans. Reform says it would charter five flights a day for deportations, leave the European Convention on Human Rights, and build detention centres for 24,000 people in remote areas. The party claims the mass deportation would save £137 billion overall, including £14.3 billion over the next five years.
Under Reform's proposals, any asylum seeker who arrived illegally in the five years prior to the next election, overstayed a visa, or comes from a country now deemed safe would be immediately detained and deported. A Reform government would also review all grants of asylum from the past five years and cancel leave to remain for those in scope, along with their dependants. A party spokesman estimated that over 400,000 people would fall under the revocation policy.
A Reform government could remove one million people during its first term.
Reform noted that around 55% of asylum applicants over the last five years arrived by small boat, clandestinely, or without proper documents, citing Home Office data. To manage detentions, it would create 'pop-up' detention centres, as current removal centres have fewer than 3,000 beds. Those facing deportation would be offered a free plane ticket and £1,000, with forcible removal for anyone who refuses. The operational timeline for Reform's deportation plan and the legal barriers it would face remain uncertain, given the UK's current human rights commitments.
Critics argue such a plan would be unworkable. The Refugee Council warned that reassessing hundreds of thousands of asylum decisions would overwhelm the system, tie up courts, and cost taxpayers tens of billions. According to The Independent, Jonathan Portes and the Refugee Council described Reform's financial projections as 'not remotely credible' and said the plan was 'not serious or workable.' Meanwhile, according to the Daily Express, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour has deported only 6% of illegal arrivals since taking office.
Not remotely credible ... not serious or workable.
Beyond immigration, Reform UK has pledged a wider law-and-order overhaul. It would give police power to order people in unauthorised traveller encampments to leave or face fines, vehicle seizure, or arrest. The party would also take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights, repeal the Human Rights Act, and amend the Equality Act and planning laws to end what it calls a 'two-tier' system. Fly-tipping would attract tougher penalties, including a £5,000 maximum fine and vehicle seizure for repeat offenders.
Reform's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf told the Daily Mail that both main parties had 'presided over an invasion of Britain' and operated an 'open borders policy.' Party leader Nigel Farage told the Daily Express that a Reform government could remove one million people during its first term. He also defended his deputy Richard Tice against accusations of failing to pay nearly £100,000 in corporation tax, while Labour called for Tice to settle his debts.
This plan is too hardcore and contains echoes of the far right.
The Conservatives have also attacked Labour's record. According to the Daily Express, Mr Philp warned that at current rates it would take decades to clear the backlog of failed asylum seekers, accusing Labour of having no deterrent. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said her party has serious plans to leave the ECHR and provide police with powers and resources to deal with illegal traveller sites, the same newspaper reported. The Tories further claimed it would take 24 years to remove all failed Pakistani asylum seekers, 14 for Vietnamese, and 13 for Turks at the present pace.
The wider asylum system remains under strain. In 2025, the UK returned 11,631 failed asylum seekers while refusing protection to 80,264, according to official data cited by multiple outlets. Of around 110,000 protection claims, 45,183 were from small boat arrivals. Another 12,176 people entered illegally by lorry, container, or fake documents, and 41,461 claims were from visa overstayers.
Return rates vary sharply by nationality: only 445 of 10,853 refused Pakistanis were returned, along with 203 of 2,856 Vietnamese and 318 of 4,011 Turks. Meanwhile, 1,269 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats on Thursday and Friday after two weeks of bad weather had paused crossings, Home Office figures showed. Eritreans, Afghans, Iranians, Sudanese, and Somalis made up almost three-fifths of all small boat arrivals, reports indicated.