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Shabana Mahmood, the new home secretary, has suggested that the UK will suspend visas for countries that don’t agree to return deals.

The minister is today meeting with counterparts from the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand in London – known as the Five Eyes Alliance.

Asked about the possibility of visa cuts, Mahmood said: “For countries that do not play ball, we’ve been talking about how we can take much more coordinated action between the Five Eyes countries.

“For us, that means including possibly, the cutting of visas in the future. Just to say, you know, we do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules. 

“And if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you do need to take them back.”

Mahmood added that this is something Labour has been looking at “for some time”.

“I’m very clear that there has to be a strong approach to maintaining our border,” she says.

“And that does mean saying to countries who do not take their citizens back that we’re not simply going to allow our laws to remain unenforced.

“That they do have to play ball, they have to come to the table.

“Cutting visas is one of the ways to do that.”