Overview
- The Home Office published a strategy titled Restoring Order and Control as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood presented the reform outline to the House of Commons.
- Refugee status would shift to 30‑month grants with regular reviews, with returns pursued once origin countries are deemed safe.
- The government proposes ending the statutory duty to provide automatic housing and cash support, making assistance discretionary and recoverable in some cases, with tighter family‑reunion rules floated.
- Irregular entrants would face the earliest eligibility for permanent settlement only after about 20 years, and ministers say the tougher rules target new arrivals rather than people already in the UK.
- Refugee charities and parts of Labour condemned the plan, France welcomed stricter UK conditions, and parliamentary scrutiny along with potential legal and operational tests are expected next.