Labour plans to 'overhaul broken asylum system'

After a summertime dominated by disapproval implicit the tiny boats situation and asylum hotels, Labour says it's readying to overhaul the "broken" asylum system.

As MPs instrumentality to Westminster today, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper volition talk astir the government's occurrence successful tackling radical smugglers and plans for borderline information reform.

Labour hopes that the raft of changes being projected volition lend to ending the usage of asylum hotels, an contented which has led to wide protests implicit the summer.

Ms Cooper volition acceptable retired planned changes to the exile household reunion process to springiness "greater fairness and balance", and talk to the government's committedness to "smash the gangs" down English Channel crossings.

National Crime Agency (NCA) figures amusement grounds levels of disruption of migration transgression networks successful 2024/25. Officials judge this contributed to the lowest fig of boats crossing the Channel successful August since 2019.

But, contempt the 3,567 arrivals successful August being the lowest since 2021, erstwhile looking crossed the full of 2025, the fig of 29,003 is the highest connected grounds for this constituent successful a year.

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Labour says actions to fortify borderline security, summation returns and overhaul the asylum system, volition effect successful "putting overmuch stronger foundations successful spot truthful we tin hole the chaos we inherited and extremity costly asylum hotels".

In a connection to Reform UK, which has promised wide deportations, and the Tories, who privation to revive the Rwanda scheme, Ms Cooper volition say: "These are analyzable challenges, and they necessitate sustainable and workable solutions, not phantasy promises which can't beryllium delivered."

While the location caput volition look backmost astatine the UK's "proud grounds of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution", she volition reason the strategy "needs to beryllium decently controlled and managed, truthful the rules are respected and enforced, and truthful governments, not transgression gangs, determine who comes to the UK".

She volition besides springiness further details astir measures announced implicit the summer, including the UK's landmark returns woody with France, and update MPs connected reforms to the asylum appeals process.

Shadow location caput Chris Philp dismissed Ms Cooper's involution arsenic a "desperate distraction tactic", reiterating grounds levels of amerciable Channel crossings, the emergence successful the usage of asylum hotels and the highest fig of asylum claims successful past successful Labour's archetypal year.

Sir Keir Starmer too, says helium intends to "deliver change," utilizing a file successful Monday's Mirror to criticise the Tories and Reform UK for whipping up migrant hatred.

And the premier curate isn't the lone 1 to deed retired astatine Reform UK's flagship migration plan, with the Archbishop of York accusing it of being an "isolationist, short-term kneejerk" approach, with nary "long-term solutions".

In response, Richard Tice, Reform's lawman leader, told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the archbishop was "wrong" successful his criticism.

Mr Tice, who is the MP for Boston and Skegness, said helium was a Christian who "enjoys" the religion - but that the "role of the archbishop is not really to interfere with planetary migration policies".

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal volition manus down its afloat written judgement successful the Bell Hotel lawsuit today, which saw Epping Forest District Council neglect successful an effort to halt asylum seekers from being enactment up there.

Protests continued successful Epping connected Sunday night, with constabulary arresting 3 people.

An anti-asylum objection besides took spot successful Canary Wharf connected Sunday, which saw a constabulary serviceman punched successful the face and successful a abstracted incident, a kid perchance affected by synthetic capsicum spray.