By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-27 22:05:39 | Updated at 2026-09-27 23:07:31
1 hour ago
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce a new legal route for vulnerable refugees which will fast-track them towards permanent settlement in the UK.
She will use her speech during the Labour Party conference tomorrow to confirm she is reopening the UK resettlement scheme.
The scheme will target the "most vulnerable" refugees, including women and girls in Afghanistan, Palestinians with critical medical needs and survivors of torture.
Those accepted will be granted immediate indefinite leave to remain, unlike other refugees whose status is reviewed every 30 months.
This will effectively place them on a fast track to settlement and citizenship.
The announcement is expected to be viewed as an attempt by Ms Mahmood to reassure critics of her wider immigration approach.
However, the new plans have already received criticism, with Nigel Farage describing it as a "new push to bring even more migrants into Britain".
Writing on X, Reform's leader said: "Andy Burnham’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has just announced a new push to bring even more migrants into Britain from Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories.
Ms Mahmood is expected to make the announcements during her speech tomorrow at Labour's party conference
PA
"As if this weekend’s revelations about Hamas operatives in our midst wasn’t enough. Now Labour wants to mass import more people under the guise of 'international obligations'.
"I want to be extremely clear. Britain is not obligated to take in more migrants, and under a Reform government these people will not be able to stay.
"If Labour are so sure the public wants their open borders policies, they’d call a general election to get a mandate. Without it, Andy remains unelected, and his government’s policies remain illegitimate."
A former Hamas bodyguard was given asylum and citizenship in the UK before "plotting" a terrorist attack, it was revealed yesterday.
Officials expect those prioritised will largely come from Sudan and Eritrea, whose nationals make up the largest share of small boat arrivals to the UK
Not named for legal reasons, the man faces extradition in Germany, where he is accused of leading a plot to attack Jewish community centres, pro-Israel demonstrations and Israeli diplomats last October.
Mossad and Germany's security and intelligence services learnt of the plot, notifying the National Crime Agency who arrested the former bodyguard in central London last November.
The Home Secretary is expected to argue combining a tougher migration system with a dedicated scheme for the most vulnerable will help maintain public support for helping refugees.
She is anticipated to say: "Fairness is what unites us in this country. A fair society is what unlocks the very best of us.
"Because when people think this country is fair, they are more open and generous to others. When this country feels unfair, people turn inwards. They grow less willing to tolerate difference.
"I know the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution.
"But I also know this process must be capped and controlled, and communities must be ready and able to welcome those who come here.
"This is what we can do and who we can be as we restore control to our borders, bear down on the small boat crossings, and unlock the inherent generosity of this country."
The Home Office anticipates roughly one in four arrivals under the resettlement scheme, which was paused two years ago, will be Afghan women and girls or Palestinian refugees.
Vulnerable individuals will continue to be identified globally by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which refers cases directly to the UK Government.
Numbers under the scheme are expected to remain small initially and will be capped annually.
All prospective refugees accepted under the scheme will also be required to undergo thorough security and criminality checks.
Ms Mahmood will also formally launch a new sponsorship scheme, modelled on the UK's Ukrainian resettlement programme.
It will allow households and communities to sponsor refugees fleeing conflict zones around the world.
The scheme, known as "named sponsorship" will operate with an annual cap.
It is based on Canada's community sponsorship model, under which private individuals commit to providing financial, emotional and practical support to a refugee.
That support is expected to last for the refugee's first 12 months in the country.
The scheme closely mirrors the Homes for Ukraine programme introduced following Russia's invasion in 2022.
That programme allowed households to sponsor Ukrainian refugees for temporary UK visas.
It ultimately supported more than 200,000 Ukrainians.
Home Office officials view it as a far more effective model than the UK's existing community sponsorship scheme.
That existing scheme resettled just 1,034 refugees between 2016 and 2023.
Under the new scheme, refugees fleeing conflict, famine, drought or other disasters will be referred to the UK by the UNHCR.
Officials expect those prioritised for resettlement will largely come from countries such as Sudan and Eritrea.
Nationals from those countries currently make up the largest proportion of small boat arrivals to the UK.
