What is in the Government’s asylum overhaul and how is it inspired by Denmark?

David Lynch, PA Political Correspondent

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will announce what she has billed as “sweeping reforms” to the UK’s asylum system.

Ms Mahmood will outline an overhaul of the way Britain grants sanctuary to those fleeing conflict and hardship abroad, in a statement in the House of Commons on Monday.

The reforms are aimed at making Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants and making it easier to remove them from the UK.

Many of the measures have already made it into the public domain via briefings to newspapers.

Here we take a look at what the Home Secretary is expected to announce, and what is in the Danish system said to have inspired it.

What changes is the Government making?

Ms Mahmood will revoke the legal duty to provide asylum-seeker support, introduced in 2005 via EU law. This means housing and weekly allowances will no longer be guaranteed for asylum seekers.

Those who have a right to work in the UK and can support themselves, but do not, could also be denied housing and benefits because of the change, as could lawbreakers.

Refugee status will become temporary and subject to regular review. Refugees will be removed as soon as their home countries are deemed safe. The wait for permanent settlement will be quadrupled to 20 years.

New safe and legal routes to the UK will be introduced as a way to cut dangerous journeys in small boats across the English Channel.

Local communities will be able to sponsor individual refugees in a model similar to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, in which people hosted those in need in their homes.

What is Denmark’s approach to asylum?

The Danish government drastically changed its migration system in response to a major influx of people throughout the 2010s. As a result, asylum seekers can only get temporary residence permits for one to two years.

Residency is subject to regular review, and can be revoked once a refugee’s home country is deemed safe.

Refugees are usually eligible for permanent status after eight years, and in order to get it they must speak fluent Danish and are required to have had a job for several years. There are also supplementary requirements, including “active citizenship”.

People refused asylum must live in “departure centres”, a basic standard of accommodation designed to incentivise a voluntary return home.

Family reunification is also subject to strict tests, including that both a sponsor and their partner must be over 24 years old, in a bid to prevent forced marriages.

A controversial policy known as the “jewellery law” allows the Danish authorities to confiscate asylum seekers’ assets, including jewellery, to help fund the costs of their stay in Denmark. Assets of “special personal significance” should not be taken.

The authorities are also able to demolish and sell social housing in areas where more than 50% of residents are from a “non-western” background, under a so-called “ghetto law” designed to prevent the formation of “parallel societies”.

The effect of Denmark’s policies has been to reduce the number of asylum applications to the lowest number in 40 years, and remove 95% of rejected asylum seekers.

It has however been criticised by some opponents as racist, and elements of it were previously found to have breached human rights law.

The Danish government is led by a political party which has a philosophy similar to Britain’s Labour Party. It is seen as a model for the way a left-leaning administration can roll out an immigration crackdown, placate voters’ concerns about migration, and defeat political rivals.