The United Kingdom is actively pursuing a radical overhaul of its asylum system, drawing direct inspiration from Denmark's stringent immigration policies. This strategic shift comes as Sir Keir Starmer's government confronts plummeting approval ratings and mounting public anger over small boat crossings and the use of asylum hotels.
The Danish Blueprint: From Hygge to Hardline
Despite its international reputation for hygge, happiness, and being the home of Lego, Denmark has developed some of Europe's most robust illegal migration policies. Under the centre-left leadership of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the nation has implemented a 'zero refugees' policy that has proven remarkably popular domestically.
The results of this approach are stark: the number of successful asylum claims in Denmark has fallen to a 40-year low, with a 95% deportation rate for failed claimants. This model has not only neutralised right-wing opposition but has captivated the UK's new Labour government.
UK Implementation and Political Divides
Since her appointment two months ago, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been scrutinising Denmark's policies across the board. Home Office officials recently travelled to Copenhagen to learn from their counterparts ahead of a major UK asylum system shake-up expected later this month.
The policies generating particular interest include:
- Tight restrictions on family reunification
- The use of temporary visas for successful asylum seekers, which become invalid if their home countries are deemed safe
- Potential requirements for asylum seekers to repay accommodation and benefit costs
- Higher English language standards and clean criminal records for acceptance
This direction has exposed significant fractures within the Labour Party. While Red Wall MPs like Jo White enthusiastically welcome the approach, left-wing MPs Nadia Whittome and Clive Lewis have described the Danish ideas as "hardcore", "dangerous", "far right" and in some cases "racist".
Controversial Measures and Practical Realities
Denmark's most extreme policies, such as confiscating valuable jewellery from migrants and demolishing apartment blocks with predominantly "non-Western" residents, are considered vanishingly unlikely for UK adoption. However, the political calculation is clear: if Ms Mahmood succeeds in reducing migrant numbers, it could neutralise Reform UK's key attacks.
Steve Smith of refugee charity Care for Calais argues the Danish model is ill-suited for Britain: "The deterrence isn't going to work, because you're dealing with people who are fleeing something far worse. These are desperate people and trying to put in desperate measures isn't going to work."
Despite these concerns, the Home Secretary has promised to do "whatever it takes" to control the situation, signalling a willingness to consider increasingly radical solutions that mirror Denmark's successful political strategy, if not its most controversial practical measures.
