The UK immigration system is going to copy the immigration system of Denmark. The rigid rules in Denmark have made its immigration rate, especially for refugees, almost zero. Family reunions for refugees who live in housing estates are practically impossible.
Critics of the Labour Party believe that the successful rules in Denmark do not necessarily apply to the UK. Moreover, the UK is much bigger than Denmark. Denmark does not have the problem of refugees traveling to the UK in small boats. Furthermore, the geography of Britain is much different. Denmark’s immigration policies were designed by the Centre-left Social Democrats, who are not suitable for the UK.
Denmark Immigration System: Zero Refugees
Denmark passed a law enabling it to process asylum seekers outside Europe. Some believe that Danish laws penalize individuals from certain ethnic groups. Refugees live in housing estates earmarked as “parallel societies”. More than half of the people are from “non-western” backgrounds. They are not eligible for family reunion.
Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world, but that warmth does not extend to asylum seekers. Moreover, in recent years, the country has developed some of the toughest illegal migration policies in Europe. It is despite being led for six years by a Centre-left politician.
PM Mette Frederiksen’s “zero refugees” policy is popular. It has also enabled her to face down her right-wing opponents successfully. The number of successful asylum claims in Denmark has reached a 40-year low, and 95% of failed claimants are deported.
Facing a rampant Reform UK and falling approval ratings amid explosive public anger over small boat crossings and asylum hotels, it’s no wonder Sir Keir Starmer and his team are desperate to learn from their example.
UK Immigration System: A Copy of Denmark
Some say Denmark’s rigid rules are key to Social Democrats’ power, but critical Labour MPs think the model echoes far-right themes. The UK government is going to announce changes to the country’s immigration rules. They modeled on a controversial system used in Denmark, which is one of the strictest in Europe. Concerns about immigration have risen steadily over the past five years, fueled in part by the number of migrants arriving in Britain via small boat crossings. A recent YouGov poll suggested voters were more worried about migration than the state of the economy.
Regarding the UK immigration system, the Labour government also faces significant challenges from Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, which is ahead in the polls. Reform promises to radically repair the immigration system if it gains power, most notably scrapping the right of migrants to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK after five years.
UK Immigration System: More Criticism for the Labour
The Centre-left Social Democrats designed Denmark’s immigration policies, and the policies are key to the party maintaining power. However, they have faced intense criticism from the left wing of the British Labour Party.
The Norwich South MP, Clive Lewis, said the Social Democrats had “adopted many of the talking points of what we would call the far right”. Nadia Whittome, the MP for Nottingham East, said copying the Danish system would be “a dead end – morally, politically and electorally”.
Gareth Snell, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent, said the plans were “worth exploring”, and that his constituents found the current system “inherently unfair”.
Some Labour MPs, particularly in “red wall” seats where support for Reform is strong, have welcomed the possibility of moving closer to a Danish model. Regarding the UK immigration system, the Bassetlaw MP Jo White said the party would be “annihilated” by Reform if it failed to tighten immigration rules.
The Bassetlaw MP Jo White is chair of the Red Wall Caucus. Gareth Snell, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent, said the plans were worth exploring. He added that his constituents found the current system inherently unfair.
UK Immigration System: Alarms from the Left
New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been examining Denmark’s policies in general – but there’s particular interest in their tight restrictions on family reunification and the use of temporary visas for successful asylum seekers. It’s an issue that increasingly splits the party.
Many on the left worry that the UK will follow a more severe Danish path. MPs like Nadia Whittome and Clive Lewis described their ideas as “hardcore”, “dangerous“, “far right”, and in some cases “racist”. If Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is successful in bringing down the numbers (and that’s a huge if), Reform’s key attacks on the government would be largely neutralized.
Denmark’s Immigration System: A Failure for the UK Immigration System
Some experts and asylum charities argue the Danish approach would fail to translate to the UK. There are desperate refugees drawn to Britain because they speak English and have existing networks of family and friends here. The applicability of the Danish Social Democratic strategy to the UK’s political situation is not self-evident.
Rather, it serves as a warning that you cannot gain the support of anti-immigration voters without simultaneously losing those who are pro-immigration. In a less flexible party system than Denmark’s, this can be catastrophic. Steve Smith of Care for Calais said: “The deterrence isn’t going to work, because you’re dealing with people who are fleeing something far worse.” He added that these people are desperate, “and trying to put in desperate measures isn’t going to work, because those desperate measures can never be as desperate.”
Political leaders may also consider the effects of immigration messaging and decision-making for immigrant populations. Again, what may first seem like a success story in terms of fulfilling policy goals merits a closer look. Whether Denmark is an example to follow is a matter of political debate. However, research from the country suggests that drawing lessons from the Danish migration policy should be done with caution and involves pitfalls for British politicians.
Denmark: A Totally Different Country
Critics point out that, while there are similarities with the UK, the situation in Denmark differs. The country is not facing small boat arrivals from the North Sea or the Baltic. Danish is not as widely spoken as English, so language requirements likely discourage some potential refugees. Danish culture can be less hospitable and may deter many people. Denmark’s population is much smaller than Britain’s, so immigrants and asylum seekers can’t enter and disappear into Danish society and work and reside illegally.
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East and a member of Labour’s Socialist Campaign Group, said it would be a “dangerous path” to take. She added that some of the Danish policies, especially those around “parallel societies”, are “undeniably racist”. The British government has spent billions of pounds, and if it spends again on a new scheme, billions of pounds may be wasted again. The question is whether the Labour Party is trying to have a political show, or aims to take real action.
