New home secretary will do ‘whatever it takes’ to stop small boat crossings

WorldPolitics
9 Sep 2025 • 1:14 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Shabana Mahmood, the new Home Secretary, stated the UK could suspend visas for countries refusing to take back their citizens who have no right to be in the UK.
  • She affirmed her commitment to do "whatever it takes" to stop small boat crossings, describing it as a Labour policy.
  • Ms Mahmood discussed this potential visa suspension with "Five Eyes" allies, including Donald Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.
  • Her comments follow a record year for Channel crossings, with over 30,000 arrivals by dinghy deemed "utterly unacceptable."
  • The Home Secretary is also planning a wider crackdown on immigration, including moving asylum seekers from hotels into military barracks.

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