EXCLUSIVE: More than 200 charities have called on Andy Burnham to tear up large parts of Shabana Mahmood's asylum plans - including a £10,000 'refugee tax' and the use of military sites12:44, 26 Jul 2026Updated 12:44, 26 Jul 2026More than 200 refugee charities have called on Andy Burnham to reject "failed gimmicks" directed at asylum seekers.‌In a letter to the PM, the groups called on the PM to rip up plans to house thousands of people on former military sites, allow them to work and drop plans for a £10,000 "refugee tax". They also urged Mr Burnham to challenge harmful rhetoric about asylum seekers and to ramp up safe routes including family reunion.‌The organisations, including Doctors of the World UK, Freedom from Torture, City of Sanctuary and Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), wrote: “Every successive effort to ramp up hostility towards refugees has failed to boost public confidence or political success for the Governments who have taken this approach, while the people we support suffer the consequences of these misguided bids for political gain. We have witnessed first hand the human cost.”‌It follows a call by senior religious leaders to water down the government's proposals. Nathan Phillips, head of campaigns at Asylum Matters, said: “We’ve seen Government after Government try to solve the problems in our asylum system with more hostility, and it simply hasn’t worked. From the Rwanda plan to the new refugee tax, every new cruel, impractical gimmick has done nothing but waste public money and cause yet more suffering for people seeking sanctuary, all while enboldening racist agitators and undermining the togetherness of our communities."So our message to Andy Burnham is simple: you don’t have to keep doing this. It’s perfectly possible to build an asylum system with welcome at its heart that is both efficient and cost effective."‌Last week Mr Burnham signalled the government will not change course by re-appointing Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary. Ms Mahmood has unveiled a string of measures which she says will make the asylum system fairer, with some making their way through Parliament in the Immigration and Asylum Bill.These include making refugee status temporary, based on assessments every two-and-a-half years - with those whose homeland is deemed safe set to be returned. Ms Mahmood argued that the measures will protect the asylum system for a generation.The Home Secretary also proposes a few fee of around £10,000 for those allowed to stay in the UK. This will cover the cost of their support, she said, but charities say it penalises refugees for delays in the asylum system.‌Other constroversial measures being considered included making asylum seekers wait 20 years before qualifying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). This can be sped up through work or study routes, the government said, but it has sparked an outcry among Labour MPs, with 80 urging Mr Burnham to water down the reforms.The charities called for ministers to halt the expansion of the use of military sites for asylum seekers, instead housing people in communities. And they called for the current ban on allowing asylum seekers to work to be lifted.The government has argued this could be a draw that would encourage dangerous small boat crossings. In their letter, the charities also called on the government to establish an independent inquiry into the use of UK taxes in escalating bored violence and deaths in the Channel.‌They wrote: "Racist far-right agitators have been emboldened: we’ve witnessed escalating violence against refugees and racialised people and the erosion of community cohesion. Evidence-based solutions and international law have been dismissed in favour of gimmicks that waste taxpayers’ money whilst damaging public confidence and the UK’s international reputation."A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those most in need, but our immigration system must balance compassion, control and contribution. That must start with protecting our borders.“We will always offer protection to those fleeing persecution, which is why we recently announced that the rollout of new safe and legal routes for refugees will begin in the autumn.Article continues below“The Immigration and Asylum Bill will bear down on abuse of the asylum system, whilst reforming human rights laws to preserve protection for those in need."