Prime Minister Keir Starmer has carried out a ministerial reshuffle and is reported to be preparing a tougher approach to immigration, including the possible use of military sites to house asylum seekers and a review of human rights laws, as his government faces pressure from Nigel Farage's Reform UK and rising Channel crossings, media outlets reported Sunday.
Angela Rayner resigned from the roles of deputy prime minister, housing secretary and Labour deputy leader on Friday, prompting Mr. Starmer to move Yvette Cooper from the Home Office to the Foreign Office and appoint Shabana Mahmood as home secretary. The changes include a wider clear-out of junior Home Office ministers as the government places tackling small-boat Channel crossings at the centre of its response to political competition from Reform UK.
The reshuffle coincided with a surge of arrivals across the Channel. On Mahmood's first full day in the post on Saturday, an estimated 1,000 people arrived in the United Kingdom by small boat, and French authorities reported rescuing 24 people attempting the crossing, according to news reports.
Reports said Ms. Mahmood is expected to announce use of Ministry of Defence sites to house some asylum seekers after a summer of protests outside hotels used for accommodation. Dozens of asylum hotels are reported to be closing after becoming focal points for demonstrations. A government source told the Daily Mail that "nothing is off the table" as Ms. Mahmood assumes responsibility for borders and asylum policy.
The Sunday Times and other outlets reported that some Labour figures are prepared to consider changes to the domestic application of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as part of a broader legal overhaul aimed at reducing migration by small boats. A Cabinet minister, quoted by reporters, said ministers would need to "do something that makes us feel queasy" to halt the growth of Reform UK, which has campaigned strongly on an anti‑immigration platform.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage used his party's conference in Birmingham to pledge that new legislation would halt crossings "within two weeks" if his party won power, and to say he would take the United Kingdom out of the ECHR and seek to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers within five years. Conservative front‑benchers have made similar promises: Conservative Party figures, including leadership contender Kemi Badenoch, are expected to signal a willingness to exit the ECHR at the party's conference next month, according to reporting.
Downing Street framed the changes as a move into a new phase of government. Mr. Starmer said the new ministers would "drive forward our growth agenda with a relentless focus," and described "phase two" of the government as focused on delivery and renewal. Darren Jones, the newly appointed chief secretary to the prime minister, denied that the government was in crisis and rejected suggestions the reshuffle signalled instability or would prompt an early election. Speaking to broadcasters, Mr. Jones said the prime minister now had "the strongest team" in place.
The reshuffle moved several other Labour figures to new briefs. Former borders minister Angela Eagle and former policing minister Diana Johnson were shifted to other departments. Sarah Jones, previously industry minister, was named policing minister, a role she held in opposition. New faces in the Home Office team include Mike Tapp, the Dover MP elected in 2024, and Alex Norris.
Ministers are also reported to be close to agreeing a returns deal with Germany, following an agreement the government says it secured with France earlier this year. The Telegraph reported that talks on such bilateral arrangements are ongoing as officials seek mechanisms to remove people who arrive by irregular routes.
The political changes come amid record levels of small‑boat arrivals this year and repeated public protests outside hotels used to house asylum seekers, which have heightened political pressure across the parties. Some Labour MPs expressed concern about the direction of the reshuffle: Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, described the moves as akin to "moving deck chairs on the Titanic" and said the changes risked creating a "London elite," according to her remarks reported in the press.
The timetable for any legal reforms is unclear. Labour officials and ministers have said the government's priority remains delivering services and restoring public confidence, while also addressing border security and the immediate operational challenge of arrivals. Advocates for asylum seekers and human rights groups have cautioned against measures that could contravene international obligations; any government proposals to alter the domestic application of international human rights instruments would likely prompt legal and political scrutiny.
As the UK heads into the autumn conference season, immigration policy is expected to remain central to parliamentary debate and party messaging. The newly appointed home secretary faces an immediate operational challenge in managing arrivals and accommodation, while ministers also navigate competing pressures from voters, opposition parties and legal constraints.