Denmark has a cosy international reputation - but warmth doesn't extend to asylum seekers

Denmark is regularly ranked arsenic 1 of the happiest countries successful the satellite - with a cosy planetary estimation arsenic the location of hygge and Lego, the idealistic fictional premier curate Birgitte Nyborg successful Borgen and the woolly jumpers of TV detective Sarah Lund. 

But that warmth does not widen to asylum seekers - and successful caller years the state has developed immoderate of the toughest amerciable migration policies successful Europe, contempt being led for six years by a centre-left politician.

PM Mette Frederiksen's "zero refugees" argumentation is not conscionable fashionable - it has enabled her to successfully look down her right-wing opponents.

The fig of palmy asylum claims successful Denmark has fallen to a 40-year debased - and 95% of failed claimants are deported.

Facing a rampant Reform UK and plummeting support ratings amid explosive nationalist choler implicit tiny vessel crossings and asylum hotels, it's nary wonderment Sir Keir Starmer and his squad are hopeless to larn from their example.

Sir Keir and Ms Frederiksen are intimately aligned connected issues of defence and information - lasting broadside by broadside astatine meetings of the Coalition of the Willing and agreed successful their staunch enactment for Ukraine.

Now the UK - similar galore different European countries - is explicitly modelling itself connected the Danish attack to migration too.

I recognize that, since she was appointed 2 months ago, caller Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been looking astatine Denmark's policies crossed the committee - but there's peculiar involvement successful their choky restrictions connected household reunification, and the usage of impermanent visas for palmy asylum seekers (which go invalid if their location countries are regarded arsenic harmless to instrumentality to).

Home Office officials precocious travelled to Copenhagen to larn from their Danish counterparts up of a large shake-up of the asylum strategy aboriginal this month.

The Sunday Times reports this could spot palmy asylum seekers forced to repay the costs of their accommodation and benefits - and they volition lone beryllium accepted if they talk a precocious modular of English and person nary transgression record.

This absorption connected the Danish exemplary has been enthusiastically welcomed by Red Wall MPs similar Jo White from Bassetlaw.

"We came into authorities successful 2024 saying that we're going to beryllium tackling this contented caput connected and that's what I promised my constituents," she told me.

"We person seen the maturation of Reform who are solely focused connected this. And if we are going to capable the abstraction wherever we tin really present connected our priorities, we person to tackle the tiny boats and the asylum strategy caput on.

"Denmark is seen arsenic 1 of the toughest countries successful Europe for dealing with asylum claims. And what's adjacent much absorbing is that it's a antiauthoritarian socialist leadership. They had to tackle this contented erstwhile they came into powerfulness due to the fact that the combat was with the acold close who were starring connected this issue, and they recognised that they had to negociate the process successful bid to beryllium capable to absorption connected delivering their policies."

It's an contented which progressively splits the party. Many connected the near are profoundly alarmed astir the UK pursuing a much draconian Danish way - with MPs similar Nadia Whittome and Clive Lewis describing their ideas arsenic "hardcore", "dangerous", "far right" and successful immoderate cases "racist".

Some of the astir arguable policies see confiscating invaluable jewellery from migrants crossing the borderline and demolishing flat blocks wherever much than 50% of residents are of what they specify arsenic "non-Western" backgrounds.

It seems vanishingly improbable those much utmost ideas volition beryllium connected the docket for Ms Mahmood and her team.

But she's a pugnacious operator. What's striking astir the week's revelations astir Denmark is however small remark there's been from either Reform UK oregon the Conservatives.

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Yes, it's recess. But there's besides an uncomfortable feeling that the right-wing parties thoroughly hold with the location secretary's robust approach.

If she's palmy successful bringing down the numbers (and that's a immense if), Reform's cardinal attacks connected the authorities would beryllium mostly neutralised.

Some experts and asylum charities reason the Danish attack would neglect to construe to the UK - with hopeless refugees drawn to Britain due to the fact that they talk English and person existing networks of household and friends here.

Steve Smith of Care for Calais said: "The deterrence isn't going to work, due to the fact that you're dealing with radical who are fleeing thing acold worse.

"These are hopeless radical and trying to enactment successful hopeless measures isn't going to work, due to the fact that those hopeless measures tin ne'er beryllium arsenic desperate."

But Ms Mahmood has promised to bash "whatever it takes" to get a grip connected the issue, and it seems she's prepared to look astatine progressively extremist solutions to bash so.