Asylum seekers set to lose housing and benefit rights

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood says the 'pace and scale of migration' is putting 'immense pressure' on communities

- CAITLIN DOHERTY POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Asylum seekers could lose their automatic right to housing and financial support under Labour’s radical immigration crackdown.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood will indicate a move away from EU law as she announces plans to scrap the UK's statutory duty to provide support to asylum seekers - with migrants also facing stricter requirements to receive and retain benefits.

It is part of a major overhaul of the immigration system, inspired by the Danish model, and comes as Labour battles to restore public trust in the asylum system to see off the threat of a Reform UK government. But Ms Mahmood may face objections from some Labour backbenchers, with immigration reform seen as a divisive issue within the party.

Ahead of a speech tomorrow by the home secretary laying out the reform, the Home Office said that support will “no longer be a given” for asylum seekers, vowing that automatic handouts for those seeking refuge “will end”.

The announcement is being billed by the government as the largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times and a move to “restore order” to the rules. Ministers hope it will reduce the incentive for small boat migrants to claim refuge in the UK, with Home Office officials insisting Britain will no longer be a “magnet for illegal migrants” seeking to benefit.