British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will maintain a ban on asylum seekers utilizing modern slavery and other human rights laws. This decision contradicts past criticisms from government ministers. Starmer faces pressure to address the influx of people arriving in the UK via small boats, a significant concern for British voters. In a bid to combat people smuggling, a bill introduced in parliament grants police the authority to seize asylum seekers' mobile phones to aid in tracking down smugglers and targeting suppliers of boat parts.
The Labour Party, now in power, intends to uphold certain aspects of legislation enacted by the previous Conservative government. This legislation disqualifies asylum seekers from using modern slavery laws to challenge removal decisions and permits the detention of child asylum seekers for up to 28 days, measures previously opposed by Labour in 2023.
Starmer and the Interior Ministry have yet to comment on the matter. Immigration and asylum rank as the second most crucial issue to voters after the economy, according to a YouGov poll. Government data indicates a 25% increase, with 36,816 individuals arriving in Britain via small boats last year, making 2024 the second-highest year for Channel crossings since 2018. Despite concerns over immigration influencing the 2016 vote to leave the European Union, successive governments have struggled to reduce both legal and illegal migration.