Asylum seekers to be banned from using taxis for medical appointments

A prohibition connected asylum seekers utilizing taxis for astir aesculapian journeys has been announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Under the caller rules, taxi usage for aesculapian question volition beryllium restricted to "exceptional" cases specified arsenic carnal disability, gestation oregon superior unwellness - and these volition necessitate authorities approval.

Ms Mahmood made the announcement aft a BBC probe recovered "widespread" usage of taxis by asylum seekers, including for agelong journeys - with 1 lawsuit involving a 250-mile travel to spot a GP.

Transport for asylum seekers has outgo the authorities an mean of astir £16m a year, according to reports.

All work providers volition beryllium required to halt utilizing taxis for aesculapian journeys from February adjacent twelvemonth and the authorities is present moving to assistance present alternatives specified arsenic nationalist transport.

"This authorities inherited Conservative contracts that are wasting billions of taxpayers' hard-earned cash," the location caput said.

"I americium ending the unrestricted usage of taxis by asylum seekers for infirmary appointments, authorising them lone successful the astir exceptional circumstances.

"I volition proceed to basal retired discarded arsenic we adjacent each azygous asylum hotel."

Taxi drivers said the strategy was unfastened to "abuse", accusing sub-contractors of inflating mileage, for lawsuit by dispatching drivers implicit agelong distances to execute overmuch shorter journeys.

One told BBC Radio 4's Today programme helium had been dispatched from Gatwick to instrumentality an asylum seeker much than 50 miles distant successful Reading to an assignment lone 1.5 miles from his hotel. A 2nd operator was reportedly sent from Heathrow, astir 30 miles away, to bring the aforesaid antheral backmost from the appointment.

The argumentation alteration comes aft a Home Office reappraisal of transport arrangements for asylum seekers, it is understood.

Asylum strategy overhaul

It comes aft a raft of measures to overhaul the asylum system was acceptable retired by Ms Mahmood earlier successful November.

In an interview with Sky News' governmental exertion Beth Rigby, she admitted the UK's amerciable migrant numbers were "too high" - but said Reform UK person Nigel Farage could "sod off" aft helium claimed she sounded similar a Reform supporter.

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The "restoring bid and control" program includes:

• The removal of much families with children - either voluntarily done currency incentives up to £3,000, oregon by force;
• Quadrupling the clip palmy asylum seekers indispensable hold to assertion imperishable residency, from 5 to 20 years;
• Removing the ineligible work to supply fiscal enactment for those who person the close to enactment but take not to;
• Setting up a caller appeals assemblage to importantly velocity up the clip it takes to determine whether to garbage an application;
• Reforming however the European Convention connected Human Rights (ECHR) is interpreted successful migration cases;
• Banning visas for countries refusing to judge deportees;
• The constitution of caller harmless and ineligible exile routes.

The location caput told MPs it is an "uncomfortable truth" that Britain's generous asylum offer, compared with different European countries, is attracting radical to the UK - and for British taxpayers the strategy "feels retired of power and unfair".

However, the wide-ranging reforms person drawn disapproval from Labour backbenchers.

Nadia Whittome MP called Ms Mahmood's plans "dystopian" and "shameful", portion Richard Burgon MP said she should alteration people alternatively than beryllium forced into a U-turn later.

So acold this year, immoderate 39,292 radical person made the travel crossed the Channel, already much than past year's numbers, but inactive beneath the full for the grounds twelvemonth of 2022.