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UK to adopt stricter asylum rules inspired by Denmark's hardline model
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will unveil sweeping reforms to the UK's immigration and asylum system later this month, drawing heavily from Denmark's restrictive policies, the BBC has learned. The overhaul aims to curb incentives for migrants while expediting removals of those without legal status, though critics within Labour warn the approach risks echoing far-right rhetoric.
Denmark's influence: Temporary protection and family reunion curbs
Senior Home Office officials traveled to Copenhagen last month to study Denmark's system, which has slashed successful asylum claims to a 40-year low-excluding pandemic-era disruptions. Under Danish rules, most refugees receive only temporary protection, revocable once their home country is deemed safe. Family reunification faces stringent barriers: applicants and sponsors must be at least 24, pass Danish language tests, and meet financial guarantees, while residents of so-called "parallel societies" (neighborhoods with over 50% "non-Western" populations) are outright ineligible.
Denmark's government defends these measures as integration tools, but the EU's top court has criticized them as discriminatory. Mahmood's team is particularly interested in the family reunion restrictions, though the UK is unlikely to adopt Denmark's full model. Last September, the Home Office paused new applications under its Refugee Family Reunion scheme pending revised rules.
Political parallels: Labour's bid to counter Reform UK
The proposed reforms mirror Denmark's 2015 pivot, when a center-left government tightened immigration to neutralize far-right momentum-a strategy Labour hopes to replicate amid Reform UK's poll dominance. Danish Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund, a Social Democrat, told the BBC his country's approach prioritizes "contribution over entitlement," including voluntary return incentives (up to £24,000 per asylum seeker). While the UK won't adopt cash incentives, Mahmood is exploring stricter conditions for settlement, such as employment mandates.
"We expect people to participate positively. If they don't, they aren't welcome," Stoklund said, adding that Denmark and the UK share frustrations with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) hindering deportations of foreign criminals.
Rasmus Stoklund, Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration
Labour divisions: Progressive backlash vs. Red Wall support
Mahmood's plan has split Labour. Left-wing MPs like Clive Lewis and Nadia Whittome condemn the Danish model as "hardcore" and "undeniably racist," warning it alienates progressive voters. Whittome called the path "dangerous-morally, politically, and electorally." Yet Red Wall MPs, including Gareth Snell and Jo White, argue constituents demand fairness and view the current system as broken. White warned Labour risks "annihilation" in the next election if it fails to match Reform UK's toughness.
"Labour can't outflank the far right by adopting their policies. We'll lose our soul-and our base," former frontbencher Lewis argued.
Clive Lewis, Labour MP
What's next: A meeting of minds?
Mahmood is eager to meet Stoklund to deepen collaboration, particularly on ECHR reforms. Denmark's review of the convention's deportation barriers could align with UK efforts to streamline removals. Meanwhile, the BBC's documentary Immigration: The Danish Way-airing Sunday at 13:30 GMT on Radio 4-explores how Copenhagen's crackdown enabled progressive policies elsewhere, a trade-off some Labour strategists find compelling.
Updated 08 Nov 2025 - Added broadcast details for BBC documentary.
