As of Monday, migrants arriving in Britain no longer have the right to claim permanent asylum. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has changed the rules so that now migrants will be eligible only for temporary refugee status. Asylum seekers’ applications will be reviewed every 30 months, and they could be returned to their country of origin if it is deemed safe.

There are caveats. People who have already submitted an asylum claim (100,000 submissions in 2025) are not affected by the new rules. Nor are unaccompanied children, who will continue to receive five years’ protection.

Mahmood hopes that these new measures will weaken the appeal of Britain to migrants. She has been influenced by a trip last week to Denmark. The left-wing government in Copenhagen has been the only one of its political ideology in Europe to take a tough line on immigration and asylum. In the last decade they have slashed asylum claims by more than 90 per cent, while ignoring the objections of human rights groups.

Many Britons will treat Mahmood’s rule change with scepticism

Many Britons will treat Mahmood’s rule change with scepticism

For the Danes, it’s logical to control one’s borders. ‘If you’re from the left, then you must have a........

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