London, 17 November 2025 (PA Media/dpa/MIA) - Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood claimed the UK was targeted by people "asylum shopping" around Europe as she outlined plans on Monday to toughen up the UK asylum system.

Mahmood announced sweeping changes designed to reduce the UK's attractiveness to asylum seekers and bolster the process for removing people with no right to be in the country.

The plans, set out in a Government statement, have already faced resistance from Labour MPs.

But Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the asylum system was not designed to cope with a "more volatile and insecure" world or a situation where asylum seekers travel through "multiple safe countries before seeking to cross the English Channel by boat."

He said: "If we want to see fewer channel crossings, less exploitation and a fairer system with safe and legal routes, we need an approach with a stronger deterrent effect and rules that are robustly enforced."

The Home Secretary said the UK was viewed by asylum seekers as a more attractive destination than other European nations.

"While some are genuine refugees, others are economic migrants, seeking to take advantage of the asylum system. Even amongst those who are genuine refugees, economic incentives are at play.," she added.

"Instead of stopping at the first safe country even genuine refugees are searching for the most attractive place to seek refuge, many now 'asylum shop' their way across the continent, in search of the most attractive place to seek refuge."

The Home Secretary insisted her plans could unite "a divided country and fix the asylum system.

The measures include cutting the time refugees are initially granted to stay in the UK from five years to a 30-month "core protection" system, which can only be renewed if it is not safe for them to return.

There will be no automatic right to family reunion for refugees under core protection.

Housing and weekly allowances will no longer be guaranteed for asylum seekers, and those who can work or have assets will have to contribute to their costs in the UK.

Mahmood also spoke of a planned "more hard-headed approach" to
removing failed asylum seekers.

"We will remove people we have not removed before, including families who have a safe home country they can return to."

She added: "We will remove people to countries where we have, until recently, paused returns."

Photo: MIA archive