Fury erupts as government plan to offer cash to rejected asylum seekers sparks outrage: “Britons are being taken for mugs,” blasts Zia Yusuf

A fierce political row has erupted after a controversial government proposal to offer cash payments to rejected asylum seekers in exchange for leaving the UK voluntarily.

The plan, revealed by Shabana Mahmood during a speech in London, would see a pilot scheme offering up to £40,000 per family to migrants whose asylum applications have been refused — provided they agree to leave the country rather than face forced deportation.

Ministers say the initiative is part of a broader attempt to create a “firm but fair” immigration system, including new measures designed to block foreign criminals from entering the UK and to overhaul long-standing refugee rules.

But critics say the idea has triggered furious backlash, with some arguing it sends the completely wrong message at a time when public frustration over illegal migration is already boiling over.

Among the loudest critics is Zia Yusuf, who unleashed a scathing attack during a heated television appearance.

“British people are being taken for mugs,” Yusuf fumed.

“How on earth can anyone look at the fact that nearly 200,000 people have arrived illegally on our beaches over the last eight years and think the answer is to reward people who break into the country?”

He continued by accusing successive governments of creating a system packed with incentives for illegal entry.

“For years we’ve had free accommodation, free food, free healthcare — all funded by British taxpayers,” Yusuf said.
“Instead of removing those incentives, detaining people and deporting them, the government has come up with the genius idea of offering a £40,000 prize if you break in.”

Calling the proposal “an absolutely insane idea,” Yusuf argued the policy risks encouraging even more illegal crossings.

“It’s a massive insult to the British public,” he added. “People are struggling with bills and taxes, and now they’re being told the government might hand tens of thousands of pounds to people who had no legal right to stay in the country in the first place.”

The controversial scheme is reportedly part of a trial involving around 150 families, whose asylum claims have already been rejected. Officials argue voluntary departure programmes can be cheaper than prolonged legal battles and detention, which often cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds per case.

However, critics say the optics are disastrous.

Several political commentators warned the policy could quickly become a flashpoint in the wider immigration debate, particularly as small-boat crossings across the Channel continue to dominate headlines.

The row comes amid mounting pressure on the government to demonstrate it can regain control of the UK’s asylum system, with voters increasingly frustrated over rising migration numbers and the spiralling cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels.

But Yusuf insisted the latest proposal does the exact opposite.

“If you want to make Britain less attractive for illegal migration,” he said,
“you don’t offer a cash reward for turning up — you enforce the law.”

With the pilot programme now under intense scrutiny, the question facing ministers is whether the scheme will help reduce the asylum backlog — or ignite an even bigger political storm.