Britain threatens to prevent a specific nationality from entering its territory

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Britain threatened to stop issuing entry visas of all types, completely and collectively, for a specific nationality and not another, and to prevent them from entering British territory, due to disagreements related to immigration matters and deportation from British territory.

According to details published by the British newspaper Daily Express, and seen by Al Arabiya.net, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud threatened to completely ban the entry of Eritrean citizens into British territory, unless their government agrees to take back its citizens who do not have the right to remain in Britain.

This warning comes within the framework of the British government's efforts to address the problem of illegal immigration and increase the number of people being deported from the country.

The minister accused Eritrea of ​​refusing to cooperate in efforts to repatriate rejected asylum seekers, as well as foreign criminals.

The Daily Express newspaper said that, as of Thursday, October 15, 2026, Eritrean diplomats will face new restrictions related to the scope of their movement outside London. Express visa services designated for VIPs will also be cancelled, and Eritrean diplomats will have to obtain prior permission to travel more than 60 kilometers outside London.

The British Home Office explained that this measure comes in response to similar restrictions already imposed on British officials in Eritrea.

This step comes after the British government accused the Eritrean authorities of suddenly withdrawing their cooperation earlier this year.

Minister Shabana Mahmoud said in a separate statement to the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph: “Eritrea had every opportunity to accept the return of criminals and people who have no right to be in Britain, but it refused, unlike other countries.

My message to the Eritrean government is clear: take your citizens back, or you will face a blanket ban on your citizens entering the UK. "I will not hesitate to impose additional measures on any other countries that refuse to cooperate."

This dispute comes at a time when Eritreans constitute a large percentage of people crossing the English Channel on small boats.

According to Interior Ministry figures, Eritrean nationals represented about 18% of arrivals by small boat during the 12 months ending June 2026, making them the largest national group among arrivals.

During the aforementioned 12 months, 5,875 Eritreans arrived in Britain via small boats, while it was reported that 6,952 Eritrean citizens applied for asylum, which means that those who arrive through airports or through legal border points are also requesting asylum, in addition to those who arrive illegally by boats across the sea.

Figures also show that the acceptance rate for Eritreans' asylum applications is just over 83%. Over the past four years, 2,626 asylum applications submitted by Eritreans have been rejected, while 106 rejected asylum seekers have been returned to their country.

It should be noted that the British government has previously used the threat of imposing visa restrictions as a means of putting pressure on other African countries.

Earlier this year, Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo received warnings that restrictions could be imposed unless they agreed to receive their returning citizens. Angola and Namibia subsequently agreed to make changes, before any sanctions began to be implemented.

Restrictions were also imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the British Home Office explained that these restrictions were later lifted after the level of cooperation improved.