Cooper's asylum measures are simply too little, too late

On the government's first day back in the Commons - after a summer marked by dire headlines about asylum hotels and an ever-rising number of arrivals in small boats - Yvette Cooper was probably hoping that her plans to fix “our broken asylum system” would draw a line under things. Fat chance, home secretary.

- EMILY SHEFFIELD

In an attempt to regain the upper hand on immigration, many of her new measures have leaked in recent weeks - including further restrictions on the rights of refugees to be joined by their family members through tougher English language tests, narrower criteria of what counts as a family member, and further restrictions using Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights for failed asylum seekers to appeal against deportation.

Trouble is, however tough Cooper’s new measures are, it looks like Labour is playing catch-up. They were trumped by Nigel Farage and his big, aggressive Reform reveal on immigration last week, which included the “no ifs, no buts” promise to deport 600,000 illegal migrants. Cooper’s argument in the Court of Appeal last week over the Bell Hotel in Epping amounted to the government arguing that the rights of the asylum seekers trumped those of the community.

Neither is her claim yesterday that Labour’s plans are working because Channel migrant crossings during August were at their lowest since 2021 going to shift voter frustration. The “win” is also easily debunked, as the people smugglers are now running fewer crossings, but in dinghies that can carry well over a hundred souls at a time.