Public to decide asylum appeals as Mahmood pledges to speed up decisions

Public to decide asylum appeals as Mahmood pledges to speed up decisions. The UK government says members of the public will be trained to decide asylum appeals, replacing the role of immigration judges as part of reforms aimed at speeding up cases. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will outline plans for a new independent body, starting in late 2027, with adjudicators described as “professionally trained and independently appointed.” Officials say the body will prioritise cases in the public interest and “high-harm offenders.” Alongside this, Mahmood pledged the removal of 45,000 failed claimants and foreign offenders, supported by expansions to two immigration removal centres. Campsfield in Oxfordshire was opened in December, and Haslar in Gosport is underway; bed capacity at Haslar is expected to rise from 130 to 600, and Campsfield from 160 to 400. The reforms will be set out in the Immigration and Asylum Bill this week.