What can Labour learn from the left in Denmark about immigration?

Denmark‘s centre-left government has a “zero refugee” policy, confiscates wedding rings and other valuables from refugees to cover costs, and blocks benefits for migrants who don’t learn the national language.

When controlling immigration, “few countries in Europe are quite as tough and quick to act as Denmark“, said Peter Conradi in The Times.

But policies of the centre-left government, led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have “succeeded in keeping immigration numbers down, her party’s poll numbers up and the far right away from power”, even as far-right parties surge elsewhere in Europe.

“Could the country that gave us Lego, hygge and the weight-loss drug Ozempic be a role model for Sir Keir Starmer as he struggles to ward off the threat from Nigel Farage and Reform?”

Back in the UK, Keir Starmer’s claim that the country risks becoming an “island of strangers” without stricter immigration controls sparked “outrage on the left” and comparisons to Enoch Powell. Yet, “rather than empowering the far-right, Starmer may be neutering it”, said Eir Nolsøe in The Telegraph.

As Danish immigration minister Kaare Dybvad Bek told the paper: “There is no doubt in my mind that traditional political parties taking immigration seriously is the reason why we don’t have large far-right parties in Denmark.” And despite criticism, Denmark’s tough policies have voter backing; the Social Democrats won elections in 2019 and 2022.

In 2023, Denmark revoked residency permits for Syrian refugees, declaring parts of Syria safe, “before backtracking after international backlash”, said Politico. Two years earlier, it passed a law allowing refugees to be relocated to asylum centres in countries like Rwanda, drawing criticism from the European Commission. The country has also “looked hard” at detaining asylum seekers on a remote island.

Rejected asylum seekers in Denmark receive no financial support, only food and shelter until they leave. Those who withdraw their application within two weeks get 20,000 DKK (£2,258), plus another 20,000 DKK in “repatriation support” to restart their lives. “Denmark literally pays migrants to leave,” said Nolsøe.

Frederiksen justifies her “tough” migration rules through issues more traditionally associated with the left: “public services”, said Katya Adler for the BBC. Danes pay the highest tax rates in Europe across all household types, and they “expect top-notch public services in return”. The Danish prime minister argues that migration levels “threatened social cohesion and social welfare with the poorest Danes losing out the most”. Her critics see this stance as a “cynical ploy”, while she argues its sincerity but either way, it’s worked: asylum claim applications are down in Denmark, in “stark contrast” to much of the rest of Europe.

At the heart of Frederiksen’s approach is a “determination” to protect working-class livelihoods and prevent schools and welfare systems from being overwhelmed, said Sue Reid in the Daily Mail.

Government data supports this. In Danish schools, the younger the pupils, the higher the proportion of ethnic Danes, which is “the reverse of what is happening in much of England’s education system”, where last year 37% of pupils came from minority backgrounds.

This contrast offers a “stark lesson” for Labour. And with immigration dominating May’s local elections, Denmark’s “hardline stance” is now “firmly” on Starmer’s radar following his meeting with Frederiksen in February.

What next?

Whether or not Denmark’s immigration policies have been a success depends on the criteria used “to judge them”, said Adler. Asylum claim applications are certainly down, but Denmark is not a “front-line state”, where people smugglers’ boats frequently aim for its shores.

And Denmark’s hard-line stance and new legislation have seriously damaged its reputation for “respecting international humanitarian law and the rights of asylum-seekers”, added Adler.

For this reason, among others, it would be “hard” for Starmer to “pursue” the Denmark approach, said Susi Dennison, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Especially so because, after taking over from the Tories, Starmer “made a point” of recommitting the UK to international institutions and international law.