UK to Exclude Foreign Sex Offenders from Refugee Protections
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will exclude foreign sex offenders from asylum protections, the government said on Monday in its latest effort to strengthen border security.
Facing public anger at the number of asylum-seeking migrants coming to Britain and the cost of housing them, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government has sought to deter illegal migration and speed up removal of those denied refugee status.
The government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is passing through parliament, will be amended to deny refugee status to any foreign national with a criminal conviction that qualifies them for the sex offenders register.
"Sex offenders who pose a risk to the community should not be allowed to benefit from refugee protections in the UK," interior minister Yvette Cooper said in the statement.
The government also said it would introduce new targets to speed up parts of the asylum decision-making system, and begin using AI to help caseworkers make decisions by improving access to country-specific advice and summarising interviews.
Britain had 90,686 asylum cases awaiting an initial decision at the end of 2024. The government said in January that it had met its target to deliver the highest rate of removals since 2018, having removed 16,400 people.
Western countries, from France and Germany to the United States, have been grappling with a surge in the number of people fleeing war and persecution, with the global refugee population having tripled in the last decade.
(Reporting by Muvija M; editing by William James)
