Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood accused of opening borders to large Afghan and Palestinian families as she restarts refugee resettlement scheme

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 08:14 EDT, 28 September 2026 | Updated: 08:21 EDT, 28 September 2026 The Home Secretary has been accused of opening Britain’s borders to large refugee families in order to appease Labour’s left.Shabana Mahmood will announce on Monday that she is restarting a resettlement scheme for people fleeing warzones, which will put them on a fast-track to permanent settlement in five years.She will tell Labour conference that one in four of those allowed to come here will be Afghan women and girls and Palestinians, and insist there will be a limit on their numbers.The UK Resettlement Scheme will reopen immediately and form one of four new ‘safe and legal routes’ - alongside sponsorship of refugees by communities, universities and employers next year – with hundreds expected at first.‘I know the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution,’ Ms Mahmood will tell delegates in Liverpool.‘But I also know this process must be capped and controlled, and communities must be ready and able to welcome those who come here.’However Kemi Badenoch claimed that those arriving will be able to use human rights laws to bring their entire families here as well.The Tory leader said: ‘Shabana has caved in to pressure, watering down her already weak immigration plans. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood leaving a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street ‘Since Labour have no interest in reforming the ECHR, saying they'll “only take Afghan women” is nonsense. The right to family life means they can bring all the men in their family over.’She added: ‘A Palestinian woman recently brought her extended family of 17 to the UK. Our immigration system is broken and until Labour are prepared to support Conservative policy to leave the ECHR and put something sensible in place, any restrictions are just smoke and mirrors.’And Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Shabana Mahmood is running scared of Angela Rayner and the Labour left. She is opening up our borders even more in a desperate attempt to appease them.‘Last year saw 85,000 asylum claims and 41,000 illegal immigrants cross the channel. We shouldn’t be shipping in any more migrants or asylum seekers at all, no matter how deserving, until illegal immigration has been reduced to close to zero.’