Closing summary
This blog is now closing. Below is a summary of today's events:
Shabana Mahmood has announced the biggest shake-up of asylum laws in the UK in 40 years.
The plans include forcing people with refugee status to return to their home country if the government seems it safe, changing the number of years people who arrive illegally would have to wait before they can apply for permanent settlement from five years to 20 and plans to consult on measures to allow the removal of financial support for families with children under the age of 18 if they have been refused asylum.
The proposals have faced fierce opposition from some in the Labour party, enough to spark fear for a major rebellion.
Making her case to the Commons, Mahmood said the asylum system feels “out of control and unfair” to members of the public and that if the government does not bring the asylum system under control, there will be more hatred.
Green MP Carla Denyer accused the home secretary of “attempting to out-Reform”. She continued: “Reform is actually just boosting this baseless far-right narrative and will only deepen divisions”.
Reform UK appeared to welcome the plans, with MP Danny Kruger saying he “welcomes” and “recognises” the “rhetoric” used by the home secretary today and suggested that Labour sounds like Reform.
Attempts to toughen up asylum rules in the UK could have significant implications for relations with Ireland, Dublin’s justice minister has said, amid concerns that this could increase migration flows to Ireland.
More than 80% of people who use irregular routes to Ireland originate from Great Britain, travelling to Belfast by plane or boat and then by road to Dublin to make asylum claims, the justice department has said.
“I am committed to ensuring that Ireland is not viewed more favourably than the UK by those seeking to claim asylum,” Jim O’Callaghan said after a meeting of the British-Irish intergovernmental conference in Dublin.
“Consequently, I will closely monitor the changes proposed by the UK government and will respond to those proposals having considered them fully and discussed them with government colleagues,” he added.
On Monday, the UK government unveiled controversial proposals for the biggest changes to migration in 40 years, including plans to make it easier to remove people with no right to be in the country.
Ireland has had a rise in irregular migration in recent years and is experiencing a similar backlash to the UK in certain quarters of the voter base.
