Charity watchdog to criticise ‘intimidation’ after Farage calls for prosecution of groups helping asylum seekers – UK politics live

And to another key story today on immigration – Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned that Eritreans could be blocked from coming to the UK unless the east African country accepts more rejected asylum seekers and criminals.

As The Guardian’s Home Affairs editor Rajeev Syal writes: VIPs and officials from the east African country have already been stripped of fast-track access to UK visas after their government refused to cooperate with the return of its nationals, the home secretary said.

The warning comes after Eritrea abruptly withdrew returns cooperation earlier this year, the Home Office said.

The UK should not get drawn into rejecting applicants for asylum from Eritrea , refugee organisations have warned, because it is a war-torn country and the UK usually accepts the vast majority of applicants, who are often escaping famine and conflict. Eritreans were the most common nationality arriving by small boat in the year ending June 2026. Returns arrangements are vital for removing people who have been refused asylum and foreign criminals.

“Eritrea has had every chance to accept the return of criminals and those with no right to be in the UK. Unlike other countries, it has refused.

“My message to the Eritrean government is simple: take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK.

“I will not hesitate to impose further measures on other countries refusing to cooperate.”

The move follows similar threats of visa sanctions against Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2025. Angola and Namibia subsequently agreed to cooperate with demands on migrant returns, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo faced visa restrictions before reaching an agreement with the UK in February.

Just over 100 refused asylum seekers from Eritrea have been deported – a figure comprising less than 4% of the 2,626 people whose claims were rejected in the past four years. Nearly 6,000 Eritreans have reached the UK across the Channel in the year to June, the highest number of any nationality.