In the recent policy document Restoring Order and Control, the Government stated “We are now exploring resuming enforced returns to countries where we have not routinely carried out such removals in recent years” as part of a push to increase removals of people who have sought asylum in the UK. In January 2026, they announced deals with several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, to resume returns.
Sophie Cartwright, Senior Policy Officer, said: “These removals are happening in a context where the government wants to get removal numbers up. And we have seen again and again how, when governments pursue removal numbers for their own sake, access to justice and basic procedural safeguards go out the window. At JRS UK, we regularly support people who have been denied asylum and are facing removal, only for the government to ultimately recognise that they do need protection after all. There is a huge risk that others, who still haven’t accessed the protection they need and deserve, will now be removed into danger.”
The legal aid crisis means that many people navigating asylum claims cannot access legal representation, and this becomes even harder at appeal or when pursuing a fresh claim. It is doubly difficult to access legal advice in detention due to systemic problems with the Detained Duty Advice Scheme, as highlighted in recent research from JRS UK.
In October 2025, a government minister stated, on behalf of the government: “The UK is deeply concerned about the reported increase in human rights violations… resulting from the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the recruitment and use of children by armed groups.”
The Home Office and the Foreign Office have a recent history of disagreement about the safety of the DRC.
