Starmer government announces stricter asylum rules
The British government has announced plans to tighten its asylum policy and adopt a Danish style migration model. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wants to introduce new rules that would halve the current five years refugees are allowed to remain in the country to two and a half years and oblige them to return to their countries of origin as soon as these are deemed safe. Benefits are also to be restricted. What are the motives behind the Labour Party's reform?
Farage setting the agenda
The taz is concerned about the shift to the right:
“Even if Labour manages to weaken Reform UK with this move, right-wing populists will once again have forced political changes on Britain without ever having been in power. Farage already pulled off this coup with his former Brexit party UKIP, when Britain actually did leave the EU. Even if Farage were to fade into insignificance in the near future, his politics will remain entrenched in those of the Labour Party.”
The UK isn't Denmark
De Standaard questions whether the Danish model is transferable to other countries:
“We'll have to wait and see how effective the measures are as a deterrent. The UK has always been a magnet for immigrants because of its multiculturalism, language and historical ties to the Commonwealth. This is a major difference to Denmark. The rest of Europe will no doubt follow the UK's experiences with this policy with great interest. If Mahmood succeeds in her endeavour, the 'Danish model' could become a key topic in European politics.”
Take the wind out of the far right's sails
Europe is at a political turning point, Le Quotidien observes:
“The United Kingdom is not alone in this situation. In Germany, too, Chancellor Merz has decided to go a few steps further and toughen the admission criteria for immigrants. France is also poised for major changes, and Luxembourg is likewise tightening its admission policy. ... In our region and further afield, the so-called 'established' ruling parties want to take action before they are overtaken by the extremes. The population's patience seems to have reached its limit. ... The entire continent is shifting to the right. The only question is how far.”
Fuelling xenophobia
The Independent weighs up the consequences:
“The main attractions of the UK are the English language, family connection and the relatively low level of racism compared with most other European countries. This last is something of which we should be proud, and we should be determined to do even better, rather than to risk moving in the opposite direction. Ms Mahmood's policies would be welcome if they helped to stop the dangerous traffic of small boats across the Channel, but we are not convinced that these measures will have a significant deterrent effect. Instead, they risk reinforcing anti-immigration sentiment in general”
Conflicts cannot be ignored
Migration poses major challenges for society, Berlingske sums up:
“We need responsible politicians who don't turn a blind eye to the fact that immigration, especially from Muslim countries, is costly in terms of welfare services and leads to serious problems such as crime, parallel societies and conflicts of values. Our politicians must recognise that conflicts arise between the desire to defend individual rights such as asylum and family reunification on the one hand, and the desire to preserve the cohesion of our society on the other. Precisely this dilemma constitutes the greatest conflict of values of our time. But if we try to suppress the debate about them, neither the problems nor the dilemmas will disappear.”