UK asylum proposals harm health and human rights

The Labour government’s proposed changes to the asylum system, published in the policy document Restoring Order and Control in November 2025, aim to “reduce the flow of arrivals” and “increase the removal of those who have no right to be here.”1 the home secretary describes asylum reforms as a “moral mission,”2 but the proposals come at the expense of human rights, social justice, and health.The right to seek asylum is enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention.3 Increasing numbers of people are forcibly displaced because of conflict and persecution, with 8.4 million currently seeking asylum worldwide.3 The UK, which ranks 17th in Europe for asylum application numbers,4 is the latest country to make headlines with proposed hardline asylum policies.“New ‘core protection’ offer for refugees”Th