A political row has erupted after UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she wants to significantly expand safe and legal routes for refugees to enter Britain once the asylum system is “fixed”.Speaking on Matt Forde’s Political Party podcast, Mahmood said her goal is to go “much bigger” on legal migration pathways, including capped schemes for refugee students, skilled workers, and community-sponsored arrivals similar to the Homes for Ukraine programme.However, she said that the expansion depends on first restoring public trust and cracking down on illegal migration, arguing that only then can the UK “break the business model of the gangs” behind people smuggling.Her remarks have sparked backlash from across the political spectrum.
Reform UK: “Need to put British people first”
Reform UK MP Suella Braverman criticised the proposals, arguing that Britain cannot “simply open our doors” to vulnerable people worldwide and must “put the British people first”.
Labour split deepens
Within Labour, the plans have also sparked internal resistance, with more than 100 MPs reportedly signing a letter urging ministers to reconsider reforms to settlement rules and migration pathways.Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has previously branded the proposals “un-British”.Mahmood is also proposing to double the time for migrant workers to obtain indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years, and extend the pathway for refugees up to 20 years, alongside changes restricting automatic family reunification rights.Downing Street is reportedly considering transitional arrangements to soften the impact of the reforms.Currently, fewer than 1,000 refugees entered the UK through formal safe routes in the year to September 2025, excluding schemes for Ukraine and Hong Kong.Mahmood defended her approach as a balance between competing political pressures, saying it was aimed at restoring fairness and public confidence in the immigration system while eventually expanding safe routes in a controlled manner.
