LONDON: Britain has announced what it calls the most sweeping overhaul of its asylum system in modern times, a dramatic shift inspired by Denmark’s highly restrictive model and unveiled amid rising domestic tensions over immigration. The Labour government, facing the surging popularity of the populist Reform UK party, has moved steadily toward a harder line on irregular migration, especially the small-boat crossings from France that have dominated national debate.
At the core of the reforms is a major change to state obligations: the statutory duty to provide certain asylum seekers with taxpayer-funded support including housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked. The Home Office said the change targets people who are able to work but choose not to, as well as those who break the law. The department, led by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, emphasized that support will now be prioritised for asylum seekers who contribute to the economy and local communities. Mahmood is expected to release more details on Monday, with officials framing the overhaul as a strategy to make Britain less attractive to illegal migrants and to speed their removal.
Mahmood defended the move by invoking Britain’s humanitarian legacy but warned that “our generosity is drawing illegal migrants across the Channel,” adding that the pace and scale of arrivals are putting immense pressure on local communities. Her stance has triggered strong pushback from more than 100 British charities, which accused the government of “scapegoating migrants” and warned that such policies fuel racism and violence.
Public opinion has shifted sharply. Immigration has overtaken the economy as the top concern for UK voters. Official data shows that 109,343 people claimed asylum in the year ending March 2025 – a 17% increase from the previous year and 6% higher than the 2002 peak of 103,081.
Britain’s reforms are explicitly modelled on approaches taken across Europe, with Denmark at the center. The Home Office said that its policy shift draws on systems where refugee status is temporary, support is conditional, and integration is an expectation rather than a guarantee. “The UK will now match and in some areas exceed these standards,” the department said.
Earlier this year, senior Home Office officials travelled to Copenhagen to study Denmark’s approach firsthand. There, asylum seekers receive only temporary residence permits usually lasting two years and must reapply when they expire. If the Danish government deems a country safe, refugees can be returned. Denmark has also tightened the path to citizenship, imposed stricter rules for family reunification, and passed a 2016 law allowing authorities to seize valuables from asylum seekers to offset support costs.
Denmark has been known for over a decade as one of Europe’s toughest immigration environments. The Home Office highlighted that Danish reforms have brought asylum claims to a 40-year low and enabled the removal of 95% of rejected applicants. Britain, by contrast, currently grants asylum to those who can prove they are unsafe at home, offering refugee status for five years before individuals can apply for permanent settlement.
Rights groups argue that Denmark’s model, now influencing UK policy, undermines the very purpose of refugee protection. Britain’s Refugee Council cautioned that refugees fleeing danger do not choose destinations based on asylum procedures but gravitate toward places where they have family ties, speak some English, or believe they can safely start over.
Growing anti-immigration sentiment has added urgency to the government’s strategy. Protests erupted this summer outside hotels funded by the state to house asylum seekers. Similar dynamics have played out across the European Union since over a million people largely Syrians arrived in 2015–16. Unable to agree on burden-sharing, many EU governments have doubled down on returns and strict border controls.
Denmark, even as a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, has faced sustained criticism for its policies. Rights groups say the system creates a hostile climate, leaves asylum seekers in prolonged insecurity, and shifts Europe toward a deterrence-based model that erodes long-standing commitments to humanitarian protection.
Britain’s move signals a decisive turn toward that European trend. Whether it will deter irregular migration, satisfy domestic political pressures, or trigger legal and humanitarian challenges remains uncertain. But the magnitude of the overhaul marks a pivotal moment in the nation’s immigration politics one that may define the broader continental debate in the years to come.
– Mark Demony
