UK's New Home Secy Shabana Mahmood Sets Out Harder Line On Migration

2025-09-09 01:08:40

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood at the 'Five Eyes' security alliance summit in London, Britain. Reuters

London- Britain's newly-appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday set out a harder line on immigration as she warned of visa suspensions for countries that refused to“play ball” and take back illegal migrants.

In one of her major engagements since taking charge at the Home Office last week, the South Asian-origin minister hosted ministerial counterparts from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada at a meeting of the Intelligence-sharing group named 'Five Eyes' in London.

It followed a weekend when over 1,000 migrants arrived illegally on UK shores via small boats, marking among the highest numbers making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.

“For countries that do not play ball, we have been talking about taking much more coordinated action between the Five Eyes countries,” said Mahmood.

“And for us that means the possibility of cutting visas in the future, just to say we do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules and if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you have to take them back,” she said.

The minister, who was promoted to her new role from the Ministry of Justice in a Cabinet reshuffle by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last Friday, said she sees her top priority in the new job as securing the country's borders.

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