Overview
- Senior officials were sent to Copenhagen last month to study Denmark’s asylum and border model, with reforms intended to cut pull factors and speed removals.
- Options under review include tighter family reunion thresholds — minimum age 24, no welfare use for three years, financial guarantees and language tests — and restricting most refugee protections to temporary stays with possible revocation when countries are deemed safe.
- Labour MPs are openly split, with Red Wall figures urging tougher steps and left-wing MPs denouncing the approach as dangerous or far-right.
- Small-boat arrivals continue to rise, with 621 crossings on Thursday and 648 on Friday taking the year-to-date total to 38,223, while a deported Iranian man re-entered before being removed again.
- The Times reports a leaked document pointing to 14 potential sites for up to 10,000 people and exploring stricter settlement and legal changes, although no final decisions have been announced.