Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing a sweeping reform of the UK’s immigration system modeled after Denmark’s strict asylum policies.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce a major overhaul of the UK’s immigration system inspired by Denmark’s tough asylum laws, according to Daily Mail reporting.
Mahmood is reportedly planning measures to make deportations easier and reduce incentives for migrants, mirroring Denmark’s approach which has seen asylum applications drop to a 40-year low. Denmark’s Social Democrat government, led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, has pursued a “zero-refugee” policy since 2019, resulting in an 89% fall in asylum claims.
Senior Home Office officials recently visited Copenhagen to study the Danish model, particularly restrictions on family reunification. In September, the UK suspended new applications for refugee family reunion visas while drafting new rules. Mahmood’s proposed reforms will likely tighten but not fully replicate Denmark’s policies.
Critics within Labour warn that adopting such “hardcore” measures echoes far-right tactics, while others argue that failure to act could cost the party electorally as support for Reform UK grows.
Rasmus Stoklund, Denmark’s Immigration Minister, told the BBC: “We expect people who come here to participate and contribute positively and if they don’t, they aren’t welcome.” Mahmood has vowed to “do whatever it takes” to regain control of Britain’s borders.