Britain adopts hardline asylum model to curb illegal migrant crossings

Zia Yusuf, a senior member of Reform, said the public were sick of being told there was no way to prevent people from arriving illegally on beaches, but said existing laws and likely opposition from Starmer’s lawmakers meant Mahmood’s proposed changes were unlikely to ever happen.

In the year to the end of March, 109,343 people claimed asylum in Britain, up 17 per cent on the previous 12 months. Still, fewer people claim asylum in Britain than in its EU peers France (157,850 in 2024), Germany (250,545 in 2024), Italy (158,610 in 2024) or Spain (166,145 in 2024).

Net migration reached a record high of 906,000 in the year to June 2023, before it fell to 431,000 in 2024, partly reflecting tighter rules.