When trust in government to confront the challenges of today falters, our sense of shared belonging can begin to crack. As the prime ministers of two great European nations, we will not let this happen.

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

How we deal with irregular migration is at the heart of this, and we know that the response must match the scale of the challenge.

Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/EPA

Communities must feel supported rather than strained. Asylum for people genuinely fleeing persecution will always remain the mark of decent, compassionate countries. But controlling who comes here is an essential task of government and is what the public rightly demands.

That’s why we are both taking practical action to fix the asylum system. Denmark has led the way here, with tough but fair reforms which have delivered results.

Last year, the number of people being granted asylum in Denmark was the lowest in 40 years, excluding the Covid year of 2020.

The UK has taken similar steps. After years of gimmicks and failed policies, we are going further than ever before with action at home – surging removals of those with no right to be here and making settlement reliant on integration and contribution, while pushing for coordinated international action too.

The current asylum framework was created for another era. In a world with mass mobility, yesterday’s answers do not work. We will always protect those fleeing war and terror – but the world has changed and asylum systems must change with it.

Today, millions are on the move not only because their lives are in danger, but because they want a better future. If we fail to take account of this, we would fail the needs of genuine refugees and the communities that for too long have been asked to absorb rapid change.

For decades, citizens in our countries have demanded action. So we are acting – not to exploit these issues and stoke grievances as some do, but to find real solutions.

The best way of fighting against the forces of hate and division is to show that mainstream, progressive politics can fix this problem.

Listening to legitimate concerns and acting on them is what our politics is about. That’s not empty populism, it’s democracy. We are determined to show that our societies can act with compassion while upholding law and order, and fairness.

We are making this case across Europe, and momentum for change is building. More countries are now pursuing similar approaches – ensuring that protection is available for those refugees who need it, while making it connected to clear expectations of integration and contribution.

That’s what people want their governments to do – maintain control over who comes and who stays, and do it on our terms. We get it. And if you commit serious crimes, you lose the right to stay. That principle is not extreme – it is common sense.

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Mette Frederiksen and Keir Starmer at the European Political Community summit, Copenhagen, 2 October 2025. Photograph: Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images

In the UK, deportations of foreign national offenders are up 12% since November last year and we’re changing the law to deport foreign criminals earlier into their sentence – getting them off our streets, out of our prisons and saving taxpayer money.

Migration must be orderly, managed and sustainable. Irregular routes should not be the go-to option – so we must dismantle the human smuggling networks that prey on desperation.

Together, we are calling on our friends across Europe to go further in tackling these shared challenges.

This week European ministers, including from the UK and Denmark, are meeting in Strasbourg to push for a modernisation of the interpretation of the European convention on human rights – so that the convention system, which we believe in, can evolve to reflect the challenges of the 21st century.

Europe has faced big tests before and we have overcome them by acting together. Now we must do so again. Otherwise, the forces that seek to divide us will grow stronger.

So our message is this: as responsible, progressive governments we will deliver the change that people are crying out for. We will control our borders to protect our democracies – and make our nations stronger than ever in the years to come.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/09/protect-borders-defend-democracies-echr-keir-starmer-mette-frederiksen