SIR KEIR STARMER has stepped up his anti-migrant policy, despite his rhetorical shift against racism at Labour Party conference this week.

The Prime Minister announced that refugees would be stripped of protections they currently enjoy in Britain, and that he was reviewing international treaty obligations to make it easier to stop migrants arriving.

The plans would remove the right from those granted asylum to be joined by their family.

Government sources were cited as saying Britain had been “too generous — creating a pull factor,” which would be reduced.

He added that this would affect those allegedly “asylum shopping” across Europe, signing up for a race to the bottom with other countries over refugees’ rights.

The plans indicate that Reform is still setting the agenda on the issue, despite Sir Keir’s new-found attempts to draw a “values” line between Labour and racism.

Jon Featonby, the chief policy analyst at the Refugee Council, said: “The previous government tried and failed to put people off taking risky journeys by reducing the rights of refugees once they were in the UK, restricting both family reunion and settlement.

“This approach didn’t work then and there is no evidence to suggest it will work now.

“Restricting family reunion only pushes more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones.  

“Family reunion overwhelmingly supported women and children, who made up nine out of 10 visas granted through this route in the last year.”

Flora Alexander, of global refugee charity International Rescue Committee, said: “The government’s decision to strip refugees of resettlement and family reunion rights is a devastating blow to those families seeking safety from conflict, crisis and persecution.

“We urge the government to reconsider these changes and ensure that those seeking safety are met with practical, humane solutions that reflect the UK’s proud tradition of refugee protection.”

Kolbassia Haoussou from Freedom from Torture described the measures as “taken straight from the populist playbook the government itself has condemned.”

Existing rights for refugees may be replaced by similar criteria to those outlined by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in relation to migrants seeking the right to settle, including proof that they are “contributing to society” — whatever that means.

Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC that while “those genuinely fleeing persecution should be afforded asylum,” countries were experiencing “mass migration in a way that we have not seen in previous years.”