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17h ago

Mahmood Takes Over at Home Office With Barracks Plan as France Returns Near

Record Channel crossings forced an operational pivot toward closing hotels, with Ministry of Defence sites readied.

MP Shabana Mahmood who has been appointed to the role of Home Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street, during a reshuffle by the British government following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in London, Britain, September 5, 2025. REUTERS/Jack Taylor/File Photo
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Britain's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, right, greets Canada Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree prior to the Five Country Ministerial meeting at the Honourable Artillery Company in London, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 as interior ministers of the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will discuss some of the major security threats facing our nations. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Overview

  • Keir Starmer completed a reshuffle that moved Yvette Cooper to the Foreign Office and installed Shabana Mahmood as home secretary.
  • Mahmood is expected to announce the transfer of asylum seekers from hotels to former military barracks, with Defence Ministry planners embedded in the Home Office to scope sites.
  • Home Office figures show 1,097 small‑boat arrivals on Saturday, taking the 2025 total to about 30,100, the earliest the 30,000 mark has been reached since records began.
  • Mahmood said a returns agreement with France has been operationalised and that the first removals are expected imminently, with talks on a similar deal with Germany reported to be close.
  • Dozens of asylum hotels are expected to close, and Mahmood will meet Five Eyes counterparts to discuss border security as her first major engagement.