The new Labour government was elected on a manifesto promising change. But one year on, what’s the reality been for refugees and people seeking asylum? Read on for our assessment of Keir Starmer’s first 12 months in Number 10.
The good
The positive news: there have been really welcome steps, especially early on into the new administration. In fact, the Prime Minister’s very first speech confirmed that the Rwanda plan would end. We also saw the completely inappropriate and harmful Bibby Stockholm barge closed.
We’re pleased too that the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill commits to scrapping harmful legislation introduced by the last government, including powers to indefinitely detain children. And perhaps most significantly, the 56-day ‘move-on’ period trial has made a major impact, reducing refugee homelessness and destitution.
The bad
But it’s not all been positive. Safe routes are desperately needed: yet the Government’s not introduced any new ones. Far too much focus has been put on deterrence and ‘smashing the gangs’, without addressing the reasons why people are forced into the hands of people smugglers, and such dangerous journeys. In fact, just this week, the Government quietly shut the ‘ACRS’ and ‘ARAP’ schemes for Afghans, some of the very few pathways in place. This shocking news came despite Afghans being the leading nationality of people crossing the Channel.
And while the rhetoric and narrative initially improved, Keir Starmer’s ‘Island of Strangers’ remark was damaging and a real step backward (even if he did recently apologise). Thousands of Syrians are also stuck in limbo as the Home Office paused reviewing their claims.
Our verdict?
There’s a lot of room for improvement. Although the asylum backlog has been reduced – by 8% from when Labour entered power, to March 2025 – the quality of decision-making has fallen too: just 52% of decisions passed the Home Office’s own checks. The result? A major rise in asylum appeals. These grew from 21,339 in 2023 to 36,552 in 2024.
So although we’ve seen some good progress, there’s a long way to go to a truly fair, compassionate asylum system.
What do we want to see by July 2026?
There’s some simple steps the Government could take. Current policy forces people seeking asylum into destitution (could you live on just £9.95 per week?) and damages integration – and it ultimately doesn’t give people a fair chance to thrive.
We’ve got good news though. By making a few simple, common-sense changes, the Government could match this country’s empathy and compassion. At HIAS+JCORE, we’re calling for new safe routes, a permanent 56-day ‘move-on’ period, and for people seeking asylum to be granted the right to work.
But we need your help. Click below to contact our team and join the movement for change. Together, we can build a better future.
