Mahmood outlines safe immigration routes plan to win over Labour left
11 reported2 unconfirmed
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will next week introduce legislation to open new safe and legal routes for refugees, aiming to shore up support on the progressive left of Labour for her broader immigration bill. The bill will also set new limits on immigration claims on human rights grounds and under modern slavery law. Andy Burnham, set to become prime minister next month, has been under pressure to clarify his stance on Mahmood’s policies amid unhappiness from some Labour MPs and charities. Labour peer Alf Dubs called for Burnham to move Mahmood out of the Home Office, describing her asylum policies as “performative cruelty.” Mahmood has attempted to soften some hardline plans, including reassessing a proposal to make migrants wait 10 years instead of five for indefinite leave to remain. The bill will include a community sponsorship scheme and a university student scheme for refugees, with applications taking place within months and refugees arriving next year. A Labour source said the aim is for the routes to eventually reach thousands of refugees a year.
What’s reported
Shabana Mahmood will introduce the immigration bill next week.
The bill will open new safe and legal routes for refugees, including a community sponsorship scheme and a university student scheme.
The bill will also set new limits on immigration claims on human rights grounds and under modern slavery law.
Mahmood has been involved in talks to exempt care workers from the changes.
Mahmood asked for immigration minister Mike Tapp to be sacked, but No 10 declined.
Burnham is expected to be installed as prime minister on 20 July.
The bill is due to be introduced on Tuesday.
A Labour source said the aim is for the routes to reach thousands of refugees a year.
Analysis shows a 50% drop in refugees arriving on safe and legal routes in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Refugee family reunion was paused by Mahmood in September 2025 and has no reopening date.
Other measures include removing modern slavery protections for foreign nationals who have committed a crime, rejecting last-minute modern slavery claims, and giving trafficked children a dedicated independent guardian.
Open questions
When refugee family reunion applications will reopen.
Whether faith groups like churches and mosques will be licensed as sponsors under the new scheme.
Key figures
Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary
Andy Burnham, set to become prime minister
Alf Dubs, Labour peer
Mike Tapp, immigration minister
Keir Starmer, former prime minister
Jo Cobley, chief executive of Safe Passage International
Madeleine Sumption, director of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory
Sources: The Guardian
