Public to hear asylum appeals as Mahmood jettisons judges

By the Editorial Team · Monday, June 29, 2026

The UK government will replace asylum judges with trained public adjudicators in a new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority to speed up the appeals process and reduce a backlog of over 87,000 cases. This reform, included in the upcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill, also limits appeals to one opportunity and narrows family rights claims, aiming to prevent delays and prioritize removal of illegal migrants.

The UK government will overhaul the asylum appeals process by replacing judges with members of the public trained as adjudicators, aiming to accelerate the removal of illegal migrants, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced. The planned reforms, set out in the forthcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill, will establish an Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA) to hear all asylum appeals, eliminating the current two-tier tribunal system.

Under the new structure, applicants whose claims have been rejected will have only one opportunity to appeal. The IIAA is expected to begin operating by the end of next year. Mahmood emphasized that the move seeks to tackle a backlog of 87,400 pending cases, involving over 110,000 individuals, which is contributing to lengthy processing times—averaging more than a year—and leaving many asylum seekers in limbo and dependent on government-funded housing.

The IIAA will include a chief executive, a chief decision-maker, a panel of senior adjudicators drawn from the legal profession, and hundreds of adjudicators recruited from wider backgrounds. These adjudicators will not be required to have legal qualifications but will receive professional training and will be paid, unlike magistrates who serve voluntarily. The Home Office expressed confidence that broadening eligibility for adjudicators would increase capacity and expedite case decisions. Safeguards will be put in place to maintain standards, with adjudicators appointed independently.

The reforms also include measures to fast-track appeals from the most dangerous foreign criminals and asylum seekers who submit what the Home Office considers to be baseless human rights claims, particularly those lodged at late stages or supported by minimal evidence. The new IIAA will identify cases “in the public interest” to prevent abuse of the legal process intended to delay deportation.

Complementing these procedural changes, the bill will tighten human rights protections. Specifically, it proposes restrictions on the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects the right to family life. The amendments will narrow eligible claims to those involving a “core family unit” such as spouses, parents, and children, reducing the scope for some migrants to resist removal by invoking broader family rights.

The plans have received support from figures including Labour politician Andy Burnham, although they have faced opposition from some Labour MPs. Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, criticized the reforms as insufficient, arguing that meaningful deportation efforts would require the UK to withdraw from the ECHR and other international treaties.

Current Home Office data indicates that nearly 20,000 foreign offenders identified for deportation remain at large in UK communities, a figure that has tripled since 2016. Concerns persist that delays in the appeals process enable individuals to establish roots and mount last-minute legal challenges.

Mahmood described the proposals as a necessary response to an overwhelmed tribunal system and a way to prevent abuse while ensuring that legitimate claims are properly heard. The Immigration and Asylum Bill is scheduled for a parliamentary vote next month.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.