Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing to announce a major overhaul of Britain's immigration system, drawing inspiration from Denmark's controversial approach. Senior Home Office officials visited Copenhagen last month to study the Danish model, which has dramatically reduced asylum applications through stricter policies.
The contrast between the two countries is stark. Denmark recorded just 2,333 asylum claims last year, a 40-year low and a 90 per cent drop over the past decade. Britain, meanwhile, hit a record 108,138 asylum claims in the same period. Denmark's success came after implementing tough measures including restricted family reunifications, easier deportations for criminals, and financial incentives of £4,500 for voluntary returns.
Denmark's Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund outlined the approach: "We have tightened our laws in many ways. We return more people back home. We have made it quite difficult to have family reunification in Denmark. You will get expelled a lot easier if you commit crimes. And we have made different programmes to help people go back home voluntarily."
Labour divided
The proposed reforms have exposed deep divisions within the Labour Party. Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that changes bringing «fairness» to the asylum system are «worth exploring». He said constituents «don't trust» the current system and it was «worth looking at what best practice we can find from our sister parties around the world where they have managed to find practical solutions».
But Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome, a member of Labour's Socialist Campaign Group, sharply criticized the direction. «I think these are policies of the far-right. I don't think anyone wants to see a Labour government flirting with them,» she said. Left-leaning Labour MPs fear the shift could alienate progressive voters.
The announcement is expected later this month amid rising Channel crossings and recent criticism after a previously deported Iranian migrant re-entered the UK in October. While critics called the incident «total chaos», ministers insisted it «shows the system is working» because he was detected and removed again.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
