ASYLUM seekers who illegally arrive in Britain will be forced to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent residence, in a bid to end “golden ticket” asylum, the Home Secretary has vowed.
Shabana Mahmood warned illegal migration is “tearing our country apart” amid plans for the biggest overhaul since World War 2, which has divided opinion within her own party.
Ms Mahmood is also set to announce that refugee status will become temporary, and those whose countries become safe will be immediately made to go home.
She argued many of those given asylum have ended up staying in Britain their whole lives – with the plan to review refugee status every 30 months.
The Government is due to announce its new specific refugee settlement route later this week inspired by the Danish system, drop to a 40-year low in asylum applications, with 95 percent of applicants rejected.
However, the plans have been criticised by left-wing factions of the Labour Party as too “hardcore” and “far-right”, with Ms Mahmood urged to soften her approach, with some fearing it is simply trying to appeal to Reform UK voters.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Ms Mahmood said: “I can see — and I know my colleagues can — that illegal migration is tearing our country apart.
“It’s our job as a Labour government to unite our country and if we don’t sort this out, I think our country becomes much more divided.”
Currently, refugees can apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years, allowing them access to benefits and public funds, as well as a path to citizenship.
The 20-year qualifying period with apply to those who arrive in the UK illegally, including via small boats and lorries, or those who overstay their visas.
If the measure is introduced, it will be the longest waiting period in Europe, with Denmark in second place at eight years.
However, the changes will only apply to new arrivals.
And there will be some mitigations for skilled refugees, who can follow work or study routes allowing them to shorten the 20-year period.
Ms Mahmood said: “It will be essentially a system whereby the more you contribute, you can bring forward that period.”
A 10-year pathway will also be introduced for people who arrive legally.
The Government also intends to use legislation to repeal a European Union directive enforcing a statutory duty to provide support for asylum seekers.
Meanwhile, housing and weekly allowances will be removed from those who have a right to work but choose not to – and those who break the law will face having support withdrawn.
Ms Mahmood will also announce reforms to the application of key elements of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), including article 8, the right to a family life.
And is expected to raise the need for international reform of article 3, covering torture and inhumane and degrading treatment.
Both have been blamed for hindering Britain’s ability to remove illegal migrants and failed asylum seekers.
‘Labour is too weak to do this’
However, Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The only way to stop these illegal crossings is to have a proper deterrent, so every illegal immigrant who comes here knows they will be rapidly removed.
“This means leaving the ECHR and abolishing the ability of the courts to stop deportations.
“But Labour is too weak to do this.
“Their endless gimmicks – like claiming to smash the gangs – and tinkering at the edges won’t work.”
On Friday US President Donald Trump warned Britain “you won’t have a country left” unless illegal migrants are deported now.
The US President advised posting the military on the coast during his wide-ranging rant about the current state of the UK.
Mr Trump said the country has “an advantage” because the sea acts as a “protector”, adding: “Sometimes they come in by boat, but it’s a protection.”
The businessman-turned-politician said his former administration was “very tough at the border” and “would take people immediately back” as the US was flooded with “millions” of illegal arrivals.
He suggested that Britain “could do the same thing”, before going on to say: “If you don’t get them out, you’re not going to have a country left.”
It comes as small boat migrants continue to prove a major headache for PM Sir Keir Starmer – with his “one-in, one-out” deal with France dealt an embarrassing blow last month when a booted out asylum seeker sneaked back into the UK.
Rival and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage previously unveiled his own mass deportation blue print – dubbed Operation Restoring Justice – promising detention camps, five deportation flights a day and a lifetime ban on ever coming back.
Many left-wing Labour politicians have criticised Ms Mahmood’s plans for being too “far-right”, with Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, going as far as calling the policies “racist”.
She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I think this is a dead end – morally, politically and electorally.
“I think these are policies of the far-Right. I don’t think anyone wants to see a Labour Government flirting with them.”
Clive Lewis, the MP for Norwich South, said: “Denmark’s Social Democrats have gone down what I would call a hardcore approach to immigration.
“They’ve adopted many of the talking points of what we would call the far-Right.
“Labour does need to win back some Reform-leaning voters but you can’t do that at the cost of losing progressive votes.”
