Tens of thousands of people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year (Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images)
The UK will stop automatically providing accommodation and other support to asylum seekers,as part of a major overhaul to the migration system.
Currently,there is a legal duty under EU law to provide financial assistance to anyone who arrives in the country and claims asylum.
Under the package being announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood tomorrow,the government will be able to deny that support to people under certain circumstances.
Refugee status is also set to be made temporary,with a review every 30 months. Those with the status will be told to go home once it is deemed safe to do so.
And the UK will adopt the longest pathway to citizenship in Europe for those granted asylum,making them wait for 20 years if they arrived illegally.
The Home Office described the move as ‘the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times’,saying they would remove incentives that draw people to get in small boats.
Meanwhile,the Conservatives claimed the new announcement does not go far enough.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Whilst some of these new measures are welcome,they stop well short of what is really required and some are just yet more gimmicks – like the previous “smash the gangs” gimmick.
‘The truth is this Labour government is incapable of getting any real change past their left-wing backbenchers,especially after the weak example they set with the debacle of their botched welfare reforms.’
On Thursday,Metro revealed the number of people returned to France under the ‘one in,one out’ deal had reached triple figures.
Migration Minister Mike Tapp said the 113 people deported so far represent the early stages of a pilot scheme that will grow as legal issues are ‘ironed out’.
The Home Office said this week almost 50,000 illegal migrants had been deported since last year’s election,a 23% increase on the previous 16-month period.
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