What benefits do asylum seekers get? Labour to

Shabana Mahmood is set to announce a raft of measures that will have a huge impact on asylum seekers.

The home secretary will tell MPs in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon that a radical overhaul of the asylum system is needed to deter illegal immigrants from coming to the UK.

The reforms are said to be the largest change to the UK’s asylum system in modern history, and are inspired by a similar approach taken by the left-leaning government in Denmark, which has cut asylum applications and deported almost all of its rejected asylum seekers. 

An asylum seeker is someone who has left their country and seeks protection from persecution or human rights violations, but who hasn't been legally recognised as a refugee and is awaiting a decision on their asylum claim.

While awaiting their claim in the UK, asylum seekers can apply for accommodation or financial support or both, if they would otherwise be destitute.

If they need somewhere to live, this will be provided by the government, and could be a house, a flat, a hostel or a bed and breakfast. They cannot choose where they live and the government say they are unlikely to get to live in London or the south-east of England.Asylum seekers will usually receive a weekly allowance of £49.18 per person in their household each week, to pay for things such as food, clothing and toiletries. This is loaded on to a debit card used to withdraw money from a cash machine.

If their accommodation provides their meals, they will receive £9.95 per person in each household.

Additional payments are available for pregnant women or families with young children: £5.25 per week for pregnant mothers or children aged one to three, and £9.50 for babies under the age of one.