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Home Secretary threatens to bar Eritreans over migrant returns dispute

Diplomats face movement limits from Thursday as the UK presses Eritrea on returns of migrants and offenders.

Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 10:22 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has threatened to bar all Eritreans from entering the UK unless Eritrea accepts more returns of small boat migrants and foreign national offenders.[BBC News]
  • From Thursday, Eritrean diplomats face limits on travel outside London, and fast-track visas for VIPs are being stopped.[BBC News]
  • Eritreans were the most common small boat nationality in the year to June, at 18% of arrivals, according to House of Commons Library figures.[BBC News]
  • The UK government says Eritrea abruptly halted returns cooperation earlier this year, and the reporting includes no Eritrean government response.[BBC News]

Key facts

  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has threatened to bar all Eritreans from entering the UK unless Eritrea accepts more returns of small boat migrants and foreign national offenders.[BBC News]
  • Starting Thursday, Eritrean diplomats face limits on travel outside London, and fast-track visas for VIPs are being stopped.[BBC News]
  • Eritreans were the most common nationality among small boat arrivals in the 12 months to June, at 18% of arrivals, according to House of Commons Library figures.[BBC News]
  • The UK government says Eritrea abruptly withdrew returns cooperation earlier this year.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Mahmood says Eritrea had every chance to accept returns of criminals and has refused, unlike other countries.[BBC News]
  • Madeleine Sumption of the Oxford University Migration Observatory estimates about 7,000 Eritrean asylum applications, around 8% of the total, with about 84% successful on first application.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether the threatened entry ban will be imposed depends on Eritrea's response, which the reporting does not include.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • The account that Eritrea abruptly withdrew cooperation and refused returns is the UK government's account, attributed in the reporting and not independently confirmed.[The Guardian · BBC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.