Labour to overhaul 'overly generous' migrant pull factor as two major changes to be made to asylum rules

As part of the proposals, automatic family reunion rights will be ceased and requirements for long-term settlement in the UK will be altered.

The Prime Minister is announcing the reforms ahead of his attendance at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, where he will co-chair a roundtable with leaders on innovative approaches to tackling illegal migration.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "I believe that if you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society. That is the tolerant and fair approach to migration that our communities are built on, but the current system is not fit for purpose.

"That is why we’re making fundamental changes to what those granted asylum are afforded in the UK. Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the channel in a boat.

"The UK will continue to play its role in welcoming genuine refugees fleeing persecution. But we must also address the pull factors driving dangerous and illegal small boats crossings.

"There will be no golden ticket to settling in the UK, people will have to earn it."

Under the new proposals, "genuine refugees" will not be returned to their home country and will be entitled to a package of core protection should they receive a positive decision.

However, they will face a new, longer route to settlement, requiring them to contribute towards society.

Full details of the reforms will be set out in an Asylum Policy Statement set to be unveiled later in the Autumn.

A Government source told GB News: "We are acknowledging that there are people who are 'asylum shopping' across the continent, looking for the country that offers them the most.

"We have been criticised in this country for being too generous, creating a pull factor.

"Today, the Government is showing that we get it, that we have been overly generous, and that we will reduce the pull factors that see thousands attempting small boat crossings."

• Israel intercepts Greta Thunberg's freedom flotilla after firing water cannons at protesters
• REVEALED: Ex-Keir Starmer aide clashes with PM's pal in fiery Labour row
• 'Reform UK on the rise!' Major poll shows vulnerable Labour MPs as expert predicts turquoise wave

Under current rules, asylum seekers who are granted refugee status can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years, which grants them the right to live, work, and study in the country permanently.

Announcing a change to the measures during the Labour Party conference on Monday, Shabana Mahmood said that the time in which someone must have lived in Britain to earn indefinite leave to remain will be raised from five years to 10 years.

"We will be consulting on this change soon and as part of this consultation, I will be proposing a series of new tests such as being in work, making National Insurance contributions, not taking a penny in benefits, learning English to a high standard, having no criminal record", the Home Secretary said.

"And finally, that you have truly given back to your community, such as volunteering your time to a local cause.

"Without meeting those conditions, I do not believe your ability to stay in this country should be automatic."

Despite his promises to reform the system, the Prime Minister was also keen to stress that international laws, such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), would not be "torn down" by the Government.

Instead, he insisted their legal interpretations would be reviewed in an effort to curb asylum claims and prevent asylum seekers from collectively gaming the system.

In a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen, Sir Keir, together with his European counterparts, are set to announce a new partnership to reduce the stress on Britain.

The scheme will be backed by up to £3million and will aim to tackle the causes of migration upstream in Western Balkan countries, including by encouraging people to stay in the region and take up jobs there.

Sir Keir will also reflect on progress made to disrupt and deter people smuggling upstream, including the UK's contribution of £5.75million under Italy’s Rome Process to tackle migration in Africa, reduce movements of migrants towards Europe and support the voluntary return of people to countries of origin.

Sir Keir's announcement comes just days before the Conservatives launch their own plan to stop the boats at their party conference this coming weekend.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce her party will support withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after a review she commissioned recommended it.

Ms Badenoch is expected to lay out the proposals across her two speeches at the party conference to end inter-party divisions over the convention.

Earlier this month, Suella Braverman joined forces with Reform UK to set out her plan for Britain to leave the ECHR.

The former Home Secretary, who served in the position for the Tories during two stints in 2022 and 2023, said at a Prosperity Institute earlier this month: "It's the first detailed plan which busts myths and sets out clear proposals on Northern Ireland, the Human Rights Act, the EU, and how our civil liberties will be protected after we leave."

The Fareham and Waterlooville MP said she was pleased to be joined by Deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice and Lord David Frost for the discussion.

She went on to declare that the UK must "trigger (the) article 58 exit clause".

"Next, we prepare our laws to take back control.

"We repeal the Human Rights Act and we reform judicial review to curb activist judges."

In addition, a new paper from Policy Exchange, published today and backed by Michael Gove, details the Conservative failures to reform the UK's relationship with the ECHR, as well as the Human Rights Act.

Britain's leading think tank argues that the Government should maintain a position of “principled defiance” with relation to the ECHR, choosing not to comply with judgments of the Court that depart from the terms the member states originally agreed.

According to the report, past reform attempts, including the 2011 Commission on a UK Bill of Rights and the 2020 Independent Human Rights Act Review, went wrong because reformers were uncertain in their aims and inconstant in their methods, often adopting a legalistic and technocratic approach that was biased in favour of the status quo.

Former Justice Secretary Lord Michael Gove writes in the Preface report: "The paper is a painstaking review of the series of attempts undertaken by successive Conservative Governments, in which I served, to place reform of our human rights framework on a proper footing.

"I agree with the authors that if any future programme of reform is to be effective, it must learn the lessons of 2010-2024, when the Conservative Party never quite made up its mind about what the problem was, how best to address it, or how much boldness was required.

"This paper is the latest publication of Policy Exchange’s remarkable Judicial Power Project, which for ten years now has been leading the public debate about the constitutional role of the courts and the place of law in our politics."

Former Minister of Justice Lord Faulks KC added: "What is becoming increasingly clear is that the HRA and our membership of the ECHR is seriously inhibiting the Government’s freedom to respond to what is regarded by many as the 'emergency' of illegal migration.

"This is the current issue, but there will be others as long as we retain the current legal architecture for the protection of human rights."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter