Labour to overhaul human rights laws to ramp up removal and deportation of illegal migrants

Shabana Mahmood is set to announce an overhaul to human rights laws in a bid to increase the number of deportations of illegal migrants and foreign criminals from British soil.

The Home Secretary will set out comprehensive plans in Parliament on Monday to scale up removals and deportations of people with no right to be in the UK in what the Government says is the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times.

“The changes are necessary to overcome years of obstacles currently faced by the Home Office in removing or deporting illegal migrants,” the Government said.

“It will restore order and control to the immigration system and ensure it is fair for British people.”

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Sir Keir Starmer said Britain has “always been a fair, tolerant and compassionate country”.

“This Government will always defend those values,” the Prime Minister added.

“But in a more volatile world people need to know our borders are secure and rules are enforced.

“These reforms will block endless appeals, stop last minute claims and scale up removals of those with no right to be here.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce an overhaul to human rights laws

| PA 

Ms Mahmood added: “The pace and scale of change destabilised communities. It is making our country a more divided place”.

“I have no doubt about who we really are in this country. We are open, tolerant and generous,” she said.

“But I also know there are conditions to that.

“The public rightly expect that we can determine who enters this country, and who must leave.”

Sir Keir Starmer said people needed to know Britain’s borders were secure

| PA 

The Home Secretary said that in order to “maintain the generosity that allows us to provide sanctuary, we must restore order and control.”

According to the Government, the reforms will allow Labour to significantly “ramp up its continued progress in removing those with no right to be in Britain”.

Nearly 50,000 people have been removed and deported from the UK since July last year.

That is a 23 per cent increase on the previous 16-month period before the General Election.

The Government has overseen 9,714 enforced removals and 5,430 foreign national offender removals since November 2024 – a 24 per cent and 12 per cent increase respectively, when compared to the previous 12-month period.

According to the Government, the changes are “necessary” to overcome “years of obstacles” faced by the Home Office in removing or deporting illegal migrants.

“A complicated and unwieldy asylum appeals process has meant failed asylum seekers can launch appeal after appeal to stall their removal,” the Government said.

“In some cases, people who have come to the UK legally have gamed the system, so they move into the asylum system while in the UK, rather than return to their home country, while human rights laws and modern slavery legislation have been used as barriers to removal.”

While the changes will feature new legislation to reform human rights laws and modern slavery, restricting illegal migrants to a single route of appeal, and looking to reform the ECHR, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Britain must leave the ECHR completely.

“The only way to stop illegal immigration and deport all illegal immigrants and foreign criminals is to come out of the ECHR completely,” he said.

“Lord Wolfson’s report made this clear. We cannot allow human rights lawyers to exploit the ECHR to allow dangerous foreign criminals to stay in the UK any longer.

“Tinkering around the edges as Labour proposes won’t work.Only the Conservatives have a proper plan to leave the ECHR and deport all foreign criminals and illegal immigrants.

“Labour is living in fantasy land with these half-measures that are no more likely to work than their previous failed ‘smash the gangs’ gimmick.

“Regarding Govt claims about recent removals numbers, only 5% of those removed crossed the channel by small boat and over 80% were in fact voluntary departures.”