Some Thoughts On The New Asylum And Returns Policy

On 21 November 2025 the government published a new policy paper, Restoring Order and Control: A Statement on the government's asylum and returns policy, described as "perhaps the most substantial reform to the UK's asylum system in a generation".

In the Foreword to the Statement, the Prime Minister goes out of his way to proclaim his (Labour's) unwavering commitment to fairness, compassion and humanity in the treatment of refugees: "The principle that people genuinely fleeing danger and persecution should be welcomed is one this government will always defend – an expression of the UK's values in action. But that principle depends upon social confidence that our asylum system is fair, effective and humane. This statement shows how a reformed asylum system, that deters arrivals and speeds up the removals of those with no legal right to be here, can deliver that confidence in a dangerous world."