Yvette Cooper to unveil plans to close major asylum loophole in five-point address to MPs

The outlined proposals will include an overhaul to the refugee family reunion process, which Ms Cooper claims will give the system “greater fairness and balance”.

Families will be required to prove they have sufficient funds, and tighter rules surrounding English language requirements will be put in place under the shake-up.

The number of visas handed to the family members of asylum seekers has skyrocketed from 4,300 in 2023 to 20,600 in the year to this March.

Current guidelines allow family members of asylum seekers to avoid showing proof of having enough funds to live in Britain without claiming Universal Credit or housing benefit - or demonstrating they can speak English.

In contrast, Britons who seek to bring a foreign partner in to the country must meet a minimum requirement of a £29,000 per annum income.

Following Nigel Farage's announcement of Reform UK's mass deportation plans, the Home Secretary will tell Parliament: “These are complex challenges and they require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can’t be delivered.”

The Home Secretary will tell MPs the first 100 illegal migrants to have been detained under the one-in, one-out deal with France are set to be deported within weeks, despite thousands arriving on British shores since the agreement came into effect.

She will also say the National Crime Agency (NCA) successfully disrupted 347 people-smuggling gangs in 2024/2025, which Ms Cooper claims helped dent the supply of boats and engines heading to France's northern coast.

While the number of illegal migrants arriving to Britain in August is at its lowest level in six years, the total number for 2025 so far is the highest on record for this point in the year.

The Home Secretary will tell Parliament the proposals will be “putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels”.

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She will say: “That means ensuring we have the powers we need to pursue the criminal smuggling gangs profiting from small boat crossings that other parties have voted against, but also new firm rules in place to manage the asylum system so we can close hotels.”

Ms Cooper will tell the House of Commons that while Britain has a “proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution”, the border security and asylum system “needs to be properly controlled and managed, so the rules are respected and enforced, and so governments, not criminal gangs, decide who comes to the UK”.

It is also believed the Home Secretary will provide an update on the proposed changes to the asylum appeals process which seek to ease pressure on accommodation and reduce the backlog.

In total, she is set to address five key areas in her speech: border security, European partnerships, asylum reform, returns and enforcement, and humanitarian routes.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, however, has described the proposals as a “desperate distraction tactic”.

Mr Philp said: “The simple fact is this year so far has been the worst in history with 29,000 illegal immigrants crossing the channel.

“Labour’s first year in office also saw the number of illegal immigrants in asylum hotels go up, despite having fallen by half in the nine months before the election.

“Labour’s first year also saw the highest number of asylum claims in history.”

He added the Labour Government had “lost control" of Britain's borders and was “engulfed in a fully fledged" crisis.

Under the Conservatives, more than 127,000 small boat migrants arrived in the UK.