Labour is considering restarting deportation flights to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that ministers are closely monitoring efforts by European countries to engage with Taliban officials over potential returns.
Sweden has announced it will lead talks on behalf of the EU, with a summit expected in Brussels this summer where Taliban representatives could attend.
When asked about direct engagement with the Taliban, Ms Mahmood said: “We are monitoring very closely what is happening in terms of other countries… whether that’s European partners or others and conversations they are having with other countries including Afghanistan.”
Any deportations would focus on Afghan nationals convicted of crimes in Britain, as well as those whose asylum claims have been rejected.
Home Office sources said the move forms part of a wider review of countries previously deemed too dangerous for returns.
Ms Mahmood is also examining whether deportations to Syria could resume – which would be the first since the outbreak of civil war in 2011.
Speaking during a visit to Dunkirk, where she finalised a new migration agreement with France, the Home Secretary declined to confirm specific plans.
Shabana Mahmood confirmed that ministers are closely monitoring efforts by European countries to engage with Taliban officials
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“I’m not ruling it in or out. I’m not going to give a running commentary on additional conversations that are happening in government,” she said.
Britain halted all removals to Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and does not formally recognise the regime.
Since then, nearly 40,000 Afghans have been granted permission to settle in the UK through resettlement schemes.
More than 15,000 who supported British forces were relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, while over 20,000 others at risk from the Taliban were admitted under a separate scheme.
Around 36,000 Afghans have claimed asylum in the UK since 2020, with most arriving via small boats.
However, the approval rate for Afghan asylum claims has fallen sharply – from 98 per cent to just 38 per cent last year following updated Home Office guidance.
The guidance concluded Taliban authorities are unlikely to take a significant interest in most returnees, but the lack of deportation routes has left many rejected applicants in limbo without the right to work or access support.
Ministers believe this may act as a pull factor for further Channel crossings.
Around 36,000 Afghans have claimed asylum in the UK since 2020, with most arriving via small boats
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Afghan nationals remain among the most common nationalities arriving by small boat, with nearly 28,000 making the journey since 2020.
Last month, the Government introduced a voluntary returns scheme offering up to £10,000 per person – and as much as £40,000 for families – to encourage departures.
In August, Nigel Farage suggested he would be willing to strike a deal with the Taliban to help tackle Britain’s migrant crisis.
At the time, officials in Kabul indicated they would welcome such a move, with one saying they were “ready and willing to receive and embrace whoever Nigel Farage sends us”.
