Labour is launching a new Denmark-inspired pilot paying up to £40,000 to failed asylum seeker families to leave the country swiftly, according to reports.
The aim of the trial is to save taxpayers’ money spent on housing migrants in Britain, with hopes it could save the Government up to £20million a year.
The scheme is inspired by Denmark’s approach to the migrant crisis, where the nation pays migrant families up to £30,000 to leave – a number the Home Office are looking to beat to further incentivise exits, LBC reports.
Home Office minister Alex Norris MP said those whose claims fail are being “removed at a record level”, but the UK still has too big of a supported population, causing issues with migrants housed in hotels.
He told GB News: “We have people, a cohort of people, who failed their application and appeal and do not have prospect of settlement in this country but aren’t leaving”.
“We do offer financial inducements for people to leave” he added, claiming that essentially paying people to leave the country would save taxpayer money, as the average family put up in a hotel costs the taxpayer £158,000 – significantly more than the offer to leave.
The pilot hopes to save some £20million, “easing the burden on the taxpayer and relieving strain from public services”.
“It is absolutely the right thing to do”, he said.
Families will be able to apply to the pilot trial, receiving payments if they accept the offer within seven days and return to a deemed safe country.
Those that refuse or obstruct their departure will lose out on the scheme and could lose support in the UK.
Denmark attribute much of their success to this style of scheme, claiming they have managed to halve the number of people awaiting deportation.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said taxpayers should not be footing millions of pounds to accommodate families who “have no right to be here”, especially when others comply with the rules and leave the UK when required.
“That is why we are acting to remove them swiftly, cut hotel use and slash costs,” she said.
“I will do whatever it takes to remove the incentives that drive illegal migration and restore order and control to our borders, while ensuring the system is firm, fair and applied consistently to everyone”.
The Government has also said handouts and accommodation will be removed for migrants who are abusing the system, repealing aspects of European Union law to remove rights from those who can support themselves, break the law, or work illegally.
This plan hopes to remove incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain, reserving support exclusively for those who genuinely need it and follow the law.
However, it will not mean that those coming to the UK illegally via small boat will automatically face losing their support.
Ms Mahmood is expected give a speech at the Institute For Public Policy Research think-tank on Thursday, where she will reveal more of the reforms she wants to implement in a bid to “restore order” to UK borders.
Refugee status was made temporary from Monday this week, rather than starting asylum seekers on a pathway to staying in Britain within five years.
This will be reviewed every 30 months. And if a country is designated to be safe within that time, families will be expected to return home.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this parliamentary term, with ministers claiming to have already cut the number by a fifth and cut overall asylum support by 15 per cent in the last year.
As of December, the Home Office said there were 107,003 individuals in receipt of asylum support, with 30,657 in around 200 asylum hotels.
