Mahmood under fire from ministers over silence on migration impact
Home Office ministers will meet counterparts from other departments to seek a compromise as colleagues demand details of the asylum reforms' impact.
At a glance
- Shabana Mahmood has refused to share Home Office assessments of how her asylum changes could affect homelessness, sources say.
- Ministers are meeting over the next few days to seek a compromise amid warnings of a care sector staffing crisis.
- The Home Office's own assessment admits homelessness could rise, but it says ending asylum hotels will not leave people homeless.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has angered fellow ministers by refusing to share Home Office assessments of how her asylum reforms could affect homelessness, according to government sources.
The dispute concerns changes she announced last November, including ending permanent leave to remain and the government's duty to support people who would otherwise become destitute. Ministers from several departments are due to meet over the coming days to seek a compromise, amid warnings of a possible staffing crisis in the care sector.
One source said Mahmood had been asked repeatedly for the Home Office's assessment of the impact on homelessness and community cohesion but "point-blank refused to engage with it". Others in government believe the department could release more detail but does not want to concede how much disruption the plans may cause.
Allies of the home secretary say the exact impact cannot be quantified because the proposals are not yet finalised, and insist the new system is designed to minimise destitution and homelessness. A Home Office spokesperson said the policy had gone through the normal cross-government process and that ending asylum hotels "will not leave people homeless", adding that reforms had already saved taxpayers more than £1bn since the election.
The department's own impact assessment, published this month, acknowledged a risk that reduced disposable income could push some people into hardship or destitution, potentially increasing demand for homelessness services and rough sleeping support and creating cost pressures for local authorities.
Earlier requests for details came from Ali McGovern and Miatta Fahnbulleh when they served as ministers under Keir Starmer, backed by then housing secretary Steve Reed. They feared that moving asylum seekers out of hotels could increase rough sleeping and prevent the government from halving it by the end of the parliament. A meeting with Alex Norris, then a Home Office minister, left many questions unanswered, and a planned formal letter was never sent after Fahnbulleh resigned.
Ministers say the row has deepened since Andy Burnham became prime minister and promised every rough sleeper a route off the streets by Christmas, committing hundreds of millions of pounds. Housing secretary Angela Rayner is said to want more detail, particularly over concerns that moving asylum seekers into houses of multiple occupancy could reignite anti-immigration protests. She has also argued for exempting care workers from tougher rules on settled status.
A government source said the prime minister supports Mahmood but wants to ensure sectors get the support they need. The issue is expected to be decided within 10 days.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Why has Shabana Mahmood angered other ministers?
- Government sources say she repeatedly refused to share Home Office assessments of how her asylum reforms could affect homelessness and community cohesion, frustrating ministers working to end rough sleeping.
- What changes has Mahmood made to the asylum system?
- She announced changes last November, including ending permanent leave to remain and the government's duty to support people who would otherwise become destitute.
- When will the dispute over the migration changes be resolved?
- Senior ministers are expected to decide the issue within 10 days after a series of meetings aimed at reaching a compromise.
