The online document garnered more then 427,000 signatures before it was closed.
Migrants are crossing the English Channel in small boats. (Image: Getty)
A huge petition to ban asylum seeker benefits has finally been given a parliament debate date. The online document waited around 100 days to be assigned a day on which MPs will discuss the proposal in the House of Commons.
Bob Clements, who set up the petition, wrote: “This petition is to advocate a cessation of financial and other support provided to asylum seekers by the Government. This support currently includes shelter, food, medical care (including optical and dental), and cash support. I believe that such provisions may inadvertently incentivise illegal migration, particularly via the English Channel. This petition is to urge the Government to discontinue these support measures and payments.”
If a policy suggestion gets at least 100,000 signatories, it is considered for debate. Now it has been announced that Parliament will debate this petition on October 20, with the discussion available to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel. The Government has already replied to the petition.
Labour says it is working to reduce the backlog in asylum applications. (Image: Getty)
It said: “We are determined to tackle illegal migration and end the use of asylum hotels but in the meantime, there is a legal requirement to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be living on the streets.
“We are grateful to everyone who took the time to sign this petition.”
Ministers added: “The petition proposes ending that support immediately, and while we understand the objective behind that proposal, we have to recognise that – in many cases – the people currently receiving that support would end up living on the street instead, including many women and children.
“According to the latest official data, the number of rough sleepers in England in autumn 2024 was 4,667, so if we immediately ended the support given to every asylum-seeker, it would increase that number by multiple amounts.
MPs are set to debate a petition to ban asylum seeker benefits. (Image: Getty)
“We believe a better approach is to continue speeding up the processing of asylum claims, so that people who are genuine refugees can be accepted, those who are not can be rejected and removed, and either way, we can keep working to cut the amount of money spent on asylum support.”
It comes as more than a thousand people crossed the English Channel in small boats on Friday as the Government sent a third person back to France.
The latest Home Office figures showed 1,072 made the journey in 13 boats.
It takes the number of people who have made the crossing so far in 2025 to 32,103 – a record for this point in a year.
