THE Labour Party must resist a shift to the left following a humiliating defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election, the Home Secretary will warn.
Shabana Mahmood is set to say that the party must push forward with its migration crackdown or face putting its future in jeopardy.
Sign up for The US Sun newsletter
Thank you!
The Home Secretary is expected to propose a crackdown following a recent visit to DenmarkCredit: PA
Mahmood is facing potential opposition from senior figures from within her own partyCredit: PA
After being roundly bested by the Green party, Labour will need to stick to its “centrist” path on migration to counter the “fairytale” of the Green’s open borders the Home Secretary will say.
Mahmood and her migration reforms are battling continued demands from senior Labour figures to shift to the left in the wake of the Green’s victory in Manchester.
Her new legislation to completely overhaul Britain’s asylum system is understood to be aimed at blunting the appeal of Reform UK.
It comes after Mahmood visited Denmark, where a social democratic-led government has drastically reduced the number of asylum applications to the lowest number in 40 years.
‘CHEAT’ ROW
Farage reports ‘illegal family voting’ to COPS & slams Greens for ‘cheating’
The Danish government has also removed 95% of rejected asylum seekers in a major crackdown.
The Home Secretary has made little secret of her admiration for the approach.
Mahmood is now expected to use a speech next week to face down her party’s demands and call for support for her sweeping migration reforms.
Her party came a humiliating third in a crunch by-election with Reform and the Green Party soundly beating them out.
In the wake of the disastrous result, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faced down fresh calls for him to quit.
He vowed to fight on though and accused the Green Party of “sectarian” politics.
The Prime Minister also pledged to “fight against extremes in politics” on both the left and the right that threatened to “tear our country apart.”
Reform leader Nigel Farage accused Muslim voters of cheating in the election through “illegal family voting.”
In the wake of the defeat, Labour’s deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said the result should be a “wake-up call” for the party.
She called for a shift to the left in Labour’s politics, asking her colleagues to “rededicate” themselves to “a Labour agenda that puts people first.”
The Home Secretary’s new move to overhaul Britain’s asylum system is understood to be aimed at blunting the appeal of Reform UKCredit: PA
Mahmood was shown around a Danish immigration centre ahead of her plans to announce a crackdown on migrationCredit: PA
But instead of bowing to her left-leaning colleagues the Home Secretary is expected to double down on her divisive immigration policies.
A source said: “The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong.”
Denmark’s tough stance on asylum seekers, which Mahmood is understood to have taken inspiration from, began in the mid 2010s when the hard-right Danish People’s Party began to rise in the polls.
Mahmood is expected to say the government must cut migration or risk opening the door to the right who would divide communities with the kind of anti-immigration raids seen in the US.
In her speech next week the Home Secretary is reportedly planning to say Britain will always provide sanctuary to people genuinely fleeing war and danger.
However she will also add that the generosity of the asylum system is attracting people from across the world, funding human traffickers and encouraging false asylum claims.
It is understood she faces a backbench revolt over the plans with Labour split more than ever after the all-important Gorton and Denton by-election.
Ms Mahmood is likely to face opposition in her efforts to emulate the Danish model from at least a few dozen Labour MPs who would see the party move left.
Labour backers of her policies say that without taking any action on migration, the party faces future electoral defeats.
Speaking to The Telegraph this week in Denmark, Mahmood said: “The levels of illegal migration are putting immense strain on our country, and our public services – creating division within communities across the country.
“Illegal migration is undermining the contract between government and its citizens – eroding support for the asylum system entirely.
“But Denmark shows us how to be firm but fair: increasing the removals of illegal migrants that have no right to be in their country while providing refuge to those in genuine need.”
It is understood Mahmood faces a backbench revolt over the plansCredit: PA