UK EXPECTED SET OUT SWEEPING REFORMS – British interior minister to set out tougher migration rules
British interior minister Shabana Mahmood is expected set out sweeping reforms to the migration system, seeking to follow Denmark in making Britain less attractive to asylum seekers.
Countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants from Britain will face visa bans, Shabana Mahmood is to announce.
States that will not accept the deportation of failed asylum seekers or foreign criminals are to face a “sliding scale” of penalties, from the removal of fast-track visa services to bans on entry documents for everyone from tourists to senior politicians.
On Monday, the Home Secretary will announce plans to block people from travelling to the UK from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless there is a rapid improvement in the number of returned migrants they accept.
Polling shows immigration is one of British voters’ main concerns after the high cost of living.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government has seen its popularity slide since it took office last year – partly due to an increasing public backlash over immigration. Under pressure from the surging Reform UK party, the government has pledged to slash the number of migrants who arrive illegally.
