Politics · 5 March 2026
UK's £30,000 incentive to avoid £158,000 asylum bill
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has refused to rule out paying failed asylum seeker families up to £30,000 to voluntarily leave Britain, following the Danish model. She told LBC the incentive would save money compared to the £158,000-a-year cost of housing a family of three in asylum accommodation. No final figure has been confirmed, with officials piloting a small programme to test how increased payments change behaviour. Families who refuse voluntary return will face enforced removal under the new rules.
Reported by LBC · How we write briefs