Shabana Mahmood's migration crackdown takes effect TODAY as emergency brake set to halt asylum surge

The emergency brake is intended to counter a surge in asylum claims from the four nations, with an increase of 470 per cent being recorded between 2021 and 2025.

Afghans have also seen the number of asylum claims on work visas surpass the number of visas issued.

However, Labour MPs have grown increasingly critical of Ms Mahmood's migration pledges.

Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner last week railed against plans to reform the rights of 1.6 million migrants to stay in the UK, describing the proposals as "un-British".

Left-wing MPs have warned Sir Keir Starmer risks losing votes to the Green Party if the Labour Government takes a tough stance on migration.

Despite warnings from the Labour backbenchers, today's changes will also see a change in the familial status needed for asylum claims.

Asylum claims have been reduced from "relative" to "close relative", with the Home Secretary legally able to disclose when an asylum claim has been made if in the public interest.

Successful asylum claims will only be kept on the protection route for 30 months, or five years if the claimant is an unaccompanied child under the age of 18.

While the Home Secretary's measures intend to crack down on asylum claims, Labour's plan came under fire after it was revealed a new pilot scheme would pay failed claimants up to £40,000 to return voluntarily to their home countries.

The pilot scheme will target approximately 150 families living in taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation.

Unveiling the measures earlier this month, Ms Mahmood said: “The generosity of the British people will become conditional on those seeking asylum following the law, living by our rules and not working illegally.

“Taxpayer-funded accommodation will be reserved for those who have no right to work and will otherwise be destitute, such as for any British citizen.

"Rights must come with responsibilities, and British taxpayers cannot be expected to fund the lives of those who refuse.”

The Home Secretary also attempted to stave off her Labour critics by warning it was needed to thwart the rise of Reform UK.

She added: "If we don’t resolve these problems, others with none of our values will be given the chance to do so instead."

However, Labour MPs have voiced concern about the measures coming into force today.

Folkestone MP Tony Vaughan organised a letter signed by 100 Labour colleagues earlier this month, claiming the proposal undermined Sir Keir commitment to integration and social cohesion.

He said: “We can change our immigration system for the better without forgetting who we are as a Labour Party.

“You don’t win back public confidence in the asylum system by threatening to forcibly remove refugees who have lived here lawfully for 15 or 20 years. That just breeds insecurity and fractured communities.”

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy added: “There’s no ‘fairness’ in repeatedly spending money on asking victims of trafficking and civil war if they are still in that category – especially when we have already given them refugee status so confirmed they are at risk of harm.

“Ukrainians, Iranians [and] Afghans alike will all now live in a perpetual state of limbo, not able to plan any kind of life either here or in their home nation because they can’t guarantee their status, making them easier to exploit too.

"I look forward to reading the NAO [National Audit Office] report and the inevitable Windrush-style scandal coming that none of us stood on a manifesto to implement.”