Dark forces are stirring up anger in the UK. My asylum reforms are our chance to stop them | Shabana Mahmood
Guardian23 hrs
UK Extends Asylum Settlement Wait to 20 Years Amid Record Claims
Above: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arrives at Downing Street in London, on Oct. 28, 2025. Image credit: Raid Necati Aslm/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Starmer's cruel asylum crackdown abandons British values of compassion while failing to reduce Channel crossings. These heartless policies will separate families and condemn hardworking refugees to permanent second-class status, legitimizing discrimination in British society.
Pro-government narrative
Britain must restore border control before losing public support for asylum entirely. The government will now be able to launch campaigns abroad warning migrants about tougher rules, including 20-year settlement waits. These necessary reforms will tackle the perception of a "soft" Britain which is attracting illegal migrants who abuse the benefits system, while opening new legal routes for genuine refugees.
Right narrative
These watered-down reforms will never pass. Mahmood's own backbenchers, the Human Rights Act and ECHR will block deportations just as they did under Sunak. Labour is making hollow promises for headlines while the real agenda is uncapped "safe and legal routes" flooding Britain with asylum seekers.