UK threatens visa ban on all Eritreans over refusal to accept returns

Mixed · 2Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has threatened to ban all Eritreans from entering the UK if Eritrea's government does not accept more returns of small boat migrants and foreign national offenders. 1 2 Centre · 1From Thursday, Eritrean diplomats face restrictions on their movement outside London, and fast-track visas are stopped for VIPs. The BBC reports that diplomats may not travel more than 60km from London without permission, which the Home Office said mirrors restrictions on British officials in Asmara. 1 Mixed · 2Mahmood said: "Eritrea has had every chance to accept the return of criminals and those with no right to be in the UK. Unlike other countries, it has refused." She added that she would not hesitate to impose further measures on other countries refusing to cooperate. GB News says she gave the quotes to The Telegraph, including: "take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK." 1 2

Mixed · 2The UK government accused Eritrean authorities of "abruptly" withdrawing co-operation earlier this year; GB News describes this as Eritrea reneging on an agreement, and cites Home Office sources saying Eritrean diplomats refused to engage constructively in private talks. The BBC said it had contacted the Eritrean embassy in London for comment. 1 2 Mixed · 2Eritreans were the most common nationality among small boat migrants in the 12 months to June, at 18% of arrivals according to the House of Commons Library (BBC). GB News, citing Home Office figures, says 6,952 Eritrean asylum seekers arrived in the year to June 2026, including 5,875 by small boat, and that only 106 of 2,626 Eritreans whose claims were rejected in four years (under 4%) have been deported. It also says Eritreans have an asylum approval rate of just over 83%. 1 2 Centre · 1Ministers have used visa-ban threats before. Earlier this year the UK threatened Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo; Angola and Namibia agreed changes before restrictions were introduced, and restrictions on the DRC, announced last year, have been lifted after co-operation improved. When announcing asylum changes in November, Mahmood said visa penalties, including an "emergency brake" on visas, would apply to non-cooperating countries. 1

Centre · 1Home Office data cited by the BBC show more than 20,400 small boat arrivals so far this year, down 40% on the same period last year, and more than 40,600 returns and deportations from July 2025 to June 2026, up 8%, of whom fewer than 6,000 had criminal convictions. 1 Right · 1GB News adds that other countries highlighted as resistant to returns include India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Somalia, Egypt and Gabon, and places the move alongside Reform UK's plan for "visa freezes" on countries including Eritrea. Labour called Reform's plan "a clear sign of desperation and weakness", while shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it "largely copy" Conservative policy. 2