{"id":567,"date":"2026-07-24T14:52:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/?p=567"},"modified":"2026-07-27T15:18:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:18:51","slug":"news-and-comments-on-latest-policy-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/news-and-comments-on-latest-policy-developments\/","title":{"rendered":"News and comments on latest policy developments \u2014 July 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 200 charities urge the new PM to \u2018reject the politics of division\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many organisations, including CIH<\/a>, welcomed Andy Burnham as the new prime minister. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coordinated by Together with Refugees, over two hundred refugee and migrant groups, including Care4Calais, Choose Love, City of Sanctuary UK, Freedom from Torture, NACCOM, Refugee Action, Refugee Council, Scottish Refugee Council and Women for Refugee Women, sent a letter to the new prime minister<\/a>, calling for a new approach to immigration policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter said: \u201cAs leaders of charities and organisations supporting refugees across the UK, we witness every day the extraordinary compassion shown by ordinary people. While recent scenes of far-right marches, intimidation and attempts to spread fear have dominated headlines, they do not reflect the reality we see in communities across the country.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It went on: \u201cPrime Minister, we ask you to reject the politics of division, and focus on what unites us, to build common ground, and to extend dignity, humanity and hope to those who have already endured so much. Now is the time to champion a narrative that reflects the very best of our country, because we believe we are stronger together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what will Andy Burnham do on immigration?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That Shabana Mahmood stays as home secretary suggests to the FT<\/em><\/a> <\/em>that Burnham is not immediately abandoning tougher immigration policies. Mahmood herself welcomed her reappointment, stating that<\/a> the government has “begun the work of major reform” of the immigration system and intends to “finish the job\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, earlier the FT<\/em> thought<\/a> that Burnham might move back towards local authority-led asylum accommodation, rather than using contractors, as well as looking to set up more \u201csafe routes\u201d for refugees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burnham should also \u201cexpand high-skilled migration through talent routes\u201d argues Lauren Gilbert<\/a>. She says that it\u2019s possible for Britain to have a compassionate, economically prudent immigration policy that wins public consent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new PM cannot demand integration while building an asylum system on insecurity, says Amina Khanom, writing from Manchester<\/a> in openDemocracy. <\/em>She <\/em>asks whether Burnham will push ahead with inherited plans for an asylum system built around deterrence and insecurity, or whether he will bring the principles he has championed in Manchester into national policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immigration and Asylum Bill will force refugees to pay for asylum accommodation<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The day before presenting the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026, the home secretary announced that asylum seekers could soon have to pay around \u00a310,000<\/a> towards their accommodation costs. The Bill will require asylum seekers to pay off the full amount they owe before they are eligible to settle in the UK permanently. 
 
Women for Refugee Women called the move<\/a> “another act of performative cruelty from this government.\u202f<\/strong>It is punitive, short-sighted, and risks creating yet another barrier to independence, integration and dignity for refugee women\u201d. 
 
Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, added that the decision was “a government shakedown of refugees so it can pay for its own waste and incompetence”.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Instead of forcing destitute people into debt,\u201d he said, \u201cministers must stop paying billions to private housing contractors and lift the ban on work so people who are able can start to rebuild their lives.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else is in the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Immigration and Asylum Bill passed<\/a> its second reading on July 13, by 264 votes to 90. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bill\u2019s main proposals include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n