Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs has urged the incoming government under Andy Burnham to remove Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and abandon what he described as asylum policies based on “performative cruelty”.
Dubs, who arrived in Britain as a six-year-old refugee on the Kindertransport after fleeing Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939, said Mahmood’s approach to immigration should be replaced with one focused on “human rights, compassion, fairness and equality” while still maintaining secure UK borders.
He suggested Mahmood’s abilities could be better used in another Cabinet role.
“I think her talents would be better used elsewhere in cabinet to allow the new PM free rein to put his own stamp on asylum and immigration policy,” Dubs said.
“At a time when the party needs unity, I do not believe that Shabana Mahmood’s policies represent the right approach.”
Mahmood has recently sought to soften parts of her immigration proposals, including discussions over exempting care workers from planned changes to indefinite leave to remain rules. She is also facing political pressure over the future of Immigration Minister Mike Tapp.
Burnham is widely expected to become Prime Minister following Keir Starmer’s resignation, with Dubs arguing that the leadership change offers Labour a chance to reset its asylum policy.
“This is Andy Burnham’s opportunity to correct some of the mistakes that the Starmer government made as regards asylum seekers and refugees,” he said.
He specifically criticised proposals to apply changes to indefinite leave to remain retrospectively.
“The proposed changes… are simply unjust and should be reconsidered,” Dubs said.
“We must stand firmly by our commitments under the 1951 refugee convention and the ECHR and not attempt to water them down.”
The veteran peer also condemned plans to suspend family reunion visas and proposals that could make it easier to detain or deport children seeking asylum.
Reflecting on his own experience as a child refugee, Dubs warned that the new measures would have prevented children like him from finding safety in Britain.
“As these proposals stand children like me arriving in the UK seeking sanctuary would be left out in the cold,” he said.
“Worse, they could be handcuffed and deported, even if they have family here ready and willing to care for them. Those are not British values and they are certainly not Labour values.”
He added: “We should be giving a high priority to family reunion to allow asylum-seeking children to join their families here.”
Dubs praised Burnham’s campaign as “positive, community-focused and unifying” and urged the new Labour leadership not to undermine that message.
He also criticised the language used by politicians when discussing refugees.
“This is Labour’s reset moment when we can consign to the past some of the appalling language used by politicians to describe refugees,” he said.
While stressing that the UK should maintain control of its borders, Dubs argued it should do so “without cruelty”.
“This control should also come with our commitment to basic rights, and compassion for those who are in time of greatest need. Not performative cruelty.”
He also called for closer cooperation with European partners on asylum policy, arguing that joint action was essential to creating an effective and humane immigration system.
Sources close to Mahmood defended her approach, saying her policies are designed to restore order and control at the UK’s borders while remaining consistent with Labour’s values. The Home Secretary has previously argued that firm immigration measures are necessary to maintain public confidence in Britain’s asylum system.