from Great Britain The Social Democratic government wants to drastically tighten asylum laws in the country. In a newspaper interview, Home Minister Shabana Mahmood announced a speech to the lower house of parliament on Monday in which she will present a reform plan for “the most comprehensive changes to the asylum system in decades.” In doing this, he took a stand against MPs from the left wing of the Labor Party who feared a shift to the right in his party, which was under great pressure in domestic politics.
Mahmood wants to abolish the state’s obligation to support asylum seekers imposed under EU law in 2005 – 15 years before Brexit. Under the reform plans, anyone who could in principle work in the UK and support themselves but does not do so will lose their legally guaranteed rights to accommodation and financial assistance. The same also applies to asylum seekers who violate the law.
Stricter rules for newcomers
The stricter rules will not apply to people already living in the UK, but only to new arrivals. From now on, anyone who comes to the country illegally may only be granted permanent residency after 20 years at the earliest – and only if certain criteria are met and, for example, there are no previous convictions. Previously, this option only existed after five years.
The aim is to make Britain, like Denmark, less attractive to migrants crossing the English Channel illegally by boat or truck and to make deportations easier, Mahmood told the Sunday Times. “We want to send a message to these people: Don’t come to this country as an illegal migrant, don’t get on a boat.”
Right-wing populist groups control the government
In the UK, the British Reform party of right-wing Brexit activist Nigel Farage, who scored points with anti-immigration slogans, currently leads all opinion polls. Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded by adopting some right-wing rhetoric and announcing that he would “end the open borders experiment” and close the “undignified chapter” of illegal immigration. However, so far, this has not brought the party ahead in the elections. The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2029.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251116-930-298282/1
