Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has banned asylum seekers from using taxis for most medical journeys, effective from February. The government will authorize taxi use only in exceptional circumstances such as physical disability, pregnancy, or serious illness, requiring specific Home Office approval.
The measure aims to save taxpayer money after a review revealed an annual spend of £15.8 million on asylum seeker transport. A BBC investigation exposed widespread taxi use, including a 250-mile trip to a GP appointment that cost the Home Office £600.
One taxi firm reported making up to 15 daily drop-offs from a hotel in south east London to a surgery around two miles away, costing approximately £1,000 per day. In another case, a driver was dispatched from Gatwick to take an asylum seeker in Reading 1.5 miles to an appointment, with a second driver from Heathrow bringing the person back.
Policy Details and Exceptions
Service providers must stop using taxis for medical journeys from February. The government is working with providers to introduce alternatives like public transport.
Mahmood said: «This Government inherited Conservative contracts that are wasting billions of taxpayers' hard-earned cash. I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances. I will continue to root out waste as we close every single asylum hotel.»
Political Reactions
Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler, a member of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, welcomed the change. Speaking on the Today programme, he criticized previous Conservative government contracts for creating wasteful spending incentives. «It never dawned on them it was a huge incentive to spend money,» he said.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp attacked Labour's approach: «The issue is that Labour can't get a grip on the illegal immigration crisis.» He suggested all illegal immigrants should be deported and called for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
The policy forms part of wider asylum reforms by Mahmood, including making refugee status temporary with reviews every 30 months. She told MPs the «uncomfortable truth» that the UK's generous asylum offer attracts people, making the system «feels out of control and unfair» to taxpayers.
The Home Secretary directed officials to «pilot a small programme» of increased return payments beyond the current £3,000 offered to some people with no right to remain, telling the BBC's Political Thinking podcast she wants to test the approach «just to see how it changes behaviour.»
These broader reforms drew criticism from Labour backbenchers. Ministers are also reviewing wider taxi use for asylum seekers, such as travel between accommodation, hoping to extend the ban.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
