'Safe and legal' routes for refugees created as Labour gets tough on immigration

Hardline measures will include regular checks on status in move by government to combat threat from Reform

- Rachel Sylvester Political Editor

New “safe and legal routes” for refugees will be created as part of sweeping reforms to the asylum system being announced this week.

In an interview with The Observer, the home secretary Shabana Mahmood said a raft of tough immigration controls were designed to unlock “the inherent openness, tolerance and generosity” of the British people.

Mahmood will tomorrow set out three new routes for “genuine” refugees to come to the UK, alongside a package of hardline measures designed to reduce the number of arrivals into the country and increase the number of removals. Under the most draconian change yet to be introduced by the government, refugees will have their asylum status in the UK reviewed every two to three years and face deportation if their home country is deemed safe.