Plaid Cymru condemns Labour for ‘enabling Nigel Farage’s agenda’ on asylum

Plaid Cymru has criticised Labour’s asylum proposals, which include forcing people granted asylum to wait up to 20 years before applying for permanent settlement and potentially confiscating refugees’ jewellery and valuables to cover accommodation costs.

The party says these measures amount to a surrender to populist pressures rather than responsible policymaking. The party’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP has warned that such policies risk punishing vulnerable families, undermining integration, and eroding trust in the system.

Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“With this announcement, Labour is bowing to the populist right, enabling Nigel Farage’s agenda by trading principles for lazy soundbites. Their proposals will punish people who have already endured unimaginable hardship. To confiscate personal belongings and leave families in bureaucratic limbo for up to 20 years is neither necessary nor just.

“The UK’s asylum system has long been mismanaged – it is costly, chaotic, and fails both refugees and the communities that welcome them. We would support measures to make the processing system more effective, but the Home Secretary’s rhetoric will only stir fear, hinder integration, and undermine economic stability. The truth is that refugees contribute to our communities and to our economy, yet they are far too often cast as nothing but a burden.

“Clear rules and controls are necessary. But rules without humanity corrode trust and fuel division. The measure of a civilised country is not how many people it turns away, but how it treats the most vulnerable.

“Plaid Cymru will reject performative cruelty. We stand for decency, fairness, and compassion. That is vital if we are to keep communities safe, maintain trust in systems, and uphold our values.”