Starmer: Reforms will curb endless appeals and accelerate removals
The UK government is preparing a sweeping transformation of its asylum system, announcing plans to reinterpret key human rights obligations in order to speed up the deportation of people who enter the country unlawfully.
On Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out proposals to change the way British courts apply the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) a move ministers say is essential to prevent people with no legal right to remain from delaying removal through repeated or last-minute appeals.
“These reforms will end the cycle of endless challenges, stop late claims designed only to stall proceedings, and expand our ability to remove those who have no right to be here,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Most extensive asylum reform in decades
Under the plan, the government will:
Make refugee status temporary rather than a route to automatic long-term settlement.
Increase by fourfold the period refugees must wait before applying for permanent residency.
Tighten the definition of “family life” under Article 8 of the ECHR so that only immediate family members, such as parents or children, can be used to prevent removal.
Work with international partners to reconsider interpretations of Article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, arguing the definition has expanded “beyond reasonable limits.”
Ministers say these steps are necessary as Labour faces mounting pressure to reduce irregular migration, especially the rise in small boat crossings. Immigration consistently ranks as one of voters’ top concerns, while the populist Reform UK party is currently outperforming both Labour and the Conservatives in some polls.
Criticism from rights groups
Charities and advocacy organisations say the reforms risk stripping vulnerable people of essential protections.
“These measures will hurt people who have already lost everything,” said Sile Reynolds, Head of Asylum Advocacy at Freedom from Torture. “Removing safeguards that prevent torture survivors from being forced back into danger is not what this country stands for.”
Despite internal and external calls for Britain to quit the ECHR altogether, the government insists it plans to remain within the treaty system—even as it pushes for substantial reinterpretation of key articles.
Further changes to come
The legislation will also include:
A redesigned and simplified appeals process
Faster deportation procedures for foreign offenders
Tighter rules to stop misuse of modern slavery protections to delay removal
Starmer, formerly a human rights lawyer, said the reforms strike the balance between compassion and control: “The UK is a fair and tolerant nation, but in an increasingly unstable world, people want assurance that our borders are secure.”
