The watchdog for human rights has urged Labour to make it easier for migrants to claim benefits.
The Equality and Human Right Commission (EHRC) has now given the Government its lowest ranking – “inconsistent action” – for failing to meet recommendations from the United Nations (UN).
The regulator said: “Instead of revising rules which do not allow many migrants to access social security (‘no recourse to public funds’) when they may need it – in line with the UN’s recommendations – the Government has consulted on proposals to extend no recourse to public funds conditions to people granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.”
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, the chairwoman of the EHRC said human rights only worked when they apply to everyone “regardless of their citizenship or immigration status”.
Pointing to recommendations from the United Nations, she argued migrants needed to be given more access to benefits to ensure migrant households are not put at a risk of poverty.
A tracker of outstanding UN recommendations, published by the EHRC in 2025, urged the Government to rapidly implement 10 changes, including scrapping the “no recourse to public funds” (NRPF) rule.
Those with NRPF status cannot claim most benefits, tax credits or housing assistance that are paid by the state.
Another EHRC tracker, measuring changes to employment laws, states that asylum seekers must be allowed to access employment before their claims are even decided.
The regulator also condemned the scrapping of a refugee employability programme which helped asylum seekers write CVs and prepare for interviews.
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said the Government must implement the UN’s recommendations to promote ‘economic, cultural and social rights’
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Dr Stephenson said: “Among the UN’s recommendations are steps that the government could be taking to improve how people arriving in this country settle and contribute to it.
“Which should accelerate their integration into society and improve social cohesion in our communities.
“That’s why we are calling on the UK government to implement the outstanding recommendations for promoting economic, cultural and social rights in full.”
Her remarks have now been slammed by a number of critics, including Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary.
“The out-of-touch Equality and Human Rights Commission and its ridiculous demands show exactly why we need to strip these bodies of any control over Government policy,” he told the Daily Mail.
“There is not a word from them speaking up for the hardworking British families struggling with their own bills, but these open-borders activists never miss a chance to lobby for more benefits for immigrants.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed the EHRC as ‘out-of-touch’ with ‘ridiculous demands’
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Mr Philp added that the UK’s social welfare offering served as a “pull factor” for immigration and his party would only give benefits to Britons.
Fellow Tory MP Neil O’Brien said: “The problem with encouraging more free handouts and benefits for illegal immigrants is that you create a pull factor and encourage even more people to come. Many are not really refugees but just economic migrants.
“Encouraging even more unvetted, illegal migrants to come here poses a serious risk to British people.”
Nearly 40,000 small boat migrants entered Britain from the year to March 2026, with 44,000 detected illegal entries across all routes.
The criticism from Conservatives follows the revelation that a Scottish council had prioritised asylum seekers for housing amid a homelessness crisis.
Nearly 40,000 small boat migrants entered Britain from the year to March 2026
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And in Essex, migrants claimed to be disappointed by the “lack of a swimming pool” despite staying at a military base more “akin to a holiday camp”.
The around 800 migrants staying at RAF Wethersfield also receive free bus trips and constant access to an in-house medical centre, Peter Harris, leader of Essex County Council, previously told GB News.
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said the comments from Dr Stephenson showed “breathtaking cheek”.
“The chair of the EHRC has the effrontery to demand that the British taxpayer dole out more money for migrants for fear of upsetting the UN – a body that now seems utterly divorced from the real world,” he added.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We will always provide sanctuary to those who genuinely need it. We take the safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously.
“The Home Secretary has overhauled Britain’s immigration system to restore fairness and control to our borders while reducing the burden on local communities. We are closing every asylum hotel, bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and delivering record-high removals of individuals illegally in the UK.”
A spokesman for the EHRC told GB News: “The UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognises everyone has the right to social security protections. It places all of us on an equal footing, no matter who we are or what walk of life we come from.
“As an impartial National Human Rights Institution, our analysis is independent of political pressure or public opinion. It is our job to monitor where the government has taken action in line with its international human rights obligations – and where it still has further progress to make.
“The UN specifically recommended the government take steps to prevent poverty and destitution among migrants and asylum seekers. Our social security system is intended to provide a safety net for people in the most vulnerable situations – yet many migrants are left without it.
“Removing benefit entitlements can place children at a greater risk of poverty, prevent women from escaping domestic abuse and put greater pressure on our public services when people fall through the cracks. All of us want to live in a society where no vulnerable person is left destitute.”