London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Dominic Raab ‘open-minded’ about allowing asylum seekers to work in UK

Dominic Raab ‘open-minded’ about allowing asylum seekers to work in UK

Justice secretary says move could help people waiting for claims to be processed to make a contribution
Dominic Raab, the new justice secretary, has said he would be “open-minded” about allowing asylum seekers to work to help tackle the UK’s labour shortage.

In what would be a major departure for the government, the former foreign secretary said such a move would allow people waiting for their claims to be processed to integrate and make a positive contribution to the UK.

His comments, in an interview with the Spectator, have been welcomed by campaigners who have demanded for a change to current policies which leave many claimants destitute. Most asylum seekers are not allowed to work while their case is considered and instead rely on the government for their housing and essential living needs.

As a child of a refugee – his Jewish father fled from Czechoslovakia as a child – Raab was asked whether he would support allowing asylum seekers to work while their claims are being processed. “I would be open-minded about it,” he reportedly told the magazine.

“What you want to try to do is turn this debate around, because the big challenge with migration over the last 20, 30 years – which probably wasn’t true when my father came here – is this sense that we just don’t integrate people well enough. If they learn the language and they can work, they integrate much better and they make a positive contribution,” he said.

In Thursday’s interview, Raab also advocated encouraging more employers to give prisoners paid work.

“We’ve been getting prisoners and offenders to do volunteering and unpaid work. Why not – if there are shortages – encourage them to do paid work where there’s a benefit for the economy, benefit for society?” he said.

As a general rule, asylum seekers can only apply for work in the UK if their claim takes more than a year for an initial decision and if any delay to their claim was the fault of the government. If they are granted the right to work, they can only work in certain professions which are experiencing labour shortages.

Reports have claimed that the Home Office has been reviewing the right of asylum seekers to work since 2018.

But a senior Home Office official earlier this month denied that there was any such review.

Asked by a member of the home affairs select committee if a review was under way, the second permanent secretary Tricia Hayes said: “We do not have any plans to revise those parameters at this time.

“We support people, but we are not looking to change the terms and conditions at this time.”

Critics of any change to the rules have raised concerns that more favourable rights may act as a ‘pull-factor’ to the UK.

In December 2018, the then home secretary Sajid Javid told parliament that he would like to review the ban. Asked about asylum seekers’ right to work in July 2019, prime minister Boris Johnson said the Home Office is currently “reviewing that matter” and that his government “will announce it soon.”

Last week, the recently sacked justice secretary Robert Buckland called for the government to allow those seeking asylum to be allowed to work.

“I was interested to read the leading article of last week’s Spectator suggesting that asylum seekers should be allowed to work as they wait for their claims to be processed.

“This already happens in Denmark. That system, I’d say, is well worth a look,” he wrote in the magazine.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
×