(Commonwealth_Europe) Shabana Mahmood has suggested she is prepared to offer significantly higher financial incentives to migrants who agree to return voluntarily to their home countries. Although she recognises that the idea doesn’t sit well with many people, she argues that voluntary return schemes actually save the UK money in the long run and are often the most practical way to resolve cases quickly.
Speaking on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast, the Home Secretary explained that she has already instructed officials to test a small pilot program that increases payments. The aim is to see whether a higher offer might encourage more people who have no right to remain in the UK to choose to return home rather than stay in a prolonged legal or administrative process. At present, the maximum available payment for certain voluntary returns is around £3,000.
Mahmood stressed that even though the wider asylum system is being overhauled, these financial packages will remain part of the strategy. In her view, voluntary returns avoid lengthy appeals, expensive accommodation costs, and drawn-out bureaucratic battles, making them not only more humane but also better value for taxpayers. She admitted that it may feel counterintuitive or even unfair to pay individuals who have no legal right to stay, but she emphasised that the evidence shows the policy works.
Although she hasn’t settled on a final figure for any future increase, Mahmood said she is genuinely open to offering much larger payments if doing so reduces delays and provides a faster, more controlled process.
Her proposed reforms, however, have sparked controversy inside her party. Several Labour backbenchers believe the measures are too tough and too focused on deterrence. But at the other end of the political spectrum, her approach has drawn praise from activist Tommy Robinson, who claimed that the political debate around migration has shifted dramatically, describing it as the “Overton window” being “obliterated”.
Mahmood firmly rejected any suggestion that Robinson’s approval validates her stance. She said she wants nothing to do with his views or methods but argued that mainstream politicians cannot simply step back from discussions about border control. If they do, she warned, they leave the conversation entirely to people on the right, something she believes would be damaging for the country.
She also pushed back against comments from Reform UK, who suggested she is now adopting their rhetoric. Mahmood dismissed their criticism, saying that Nigel Farage and his colleagues are more interested in stirring up anger than in solving real problems. She asserts that Reform exploits public frustration, while her focus is on genuinely fixing the system. As she put it, they may claim she is copying them, but in reality, she believes they are the ones reacting to her because she is tackling issues they only use for political gain.
