UK cracks down on fake asylum claims as Home Secretary warns of deportation and action against ‘sham lawyers’

The UK government has signalled a tougher stance on asylum fraud, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warning on X ( formerly Twitter) that individuals making false claims based on gender or sexual orientation will face refusal, removal from the country and loss of support.In her post, Mahmood said those abusing protections meant for people fleeing persecution are “beyond contempt”. She added that anyone attempting to defraud the system to enter or remain in the UK would have their asylum claim rejected, their support cut off and be put on a “one-way flight out of Britain”.She also warned that “sham lawyers” facilitating such cases would “face the full force of the law”, adding that those convicted would be jailed and their assets seized, with the proceeds reinvested to tackle the same criminal activity.Her comments follow a BBC investigation which found that some legal advisers and law firms are charging migrants thousands of pounds to help them falsely claim to be gay in order to secure asylum. The report suggested the practice is being systematically exploited.According to the investigation, many of those involved are individuals whose student, work or tourist visas have expired, rather than people arriving through irregular routes.The Home Office said it is investigating those identified in the BBC report as part of a wider probe, after officials observed a growing trend of suspected fraudulent claims linked to sexual orientation.The move reflects increasing scrutiny of asylum applications, particularly in cases where protections designed for vulnerable groups are believed to be misused.