Behaviour guidelines for life in UK published for asylum seekers

New behavioural guidance for asylum seekers has been published by the Home Office.

A nine-page booklet covering issues including respect in public, sex and consent, and gender equality, has gone online, with guidance on how laws and customs in the UK may be different from the home country of asylum seekers.

The Conservatives said any asylum seekers breaking UK law should be deported and Reform UK claimed the publication of the document meant the government "knows that they are a menace".

A Home Office spokesman said: "We expect everyone who comes to the UK to abide by our laws. If they do not, they will face consequences, including the refusal of their asylum claim and removal from the UK."

According to the latest Home Office figures, a total of 93,525 people applied for asylum in the UK from April 2025 to March 2026, which was down by 12% on the same period in the previous year.

The booklet sets out how asylum seekers must understand UK law, because the consequences of breaking the law mean "you could get in trouble with the police, lose your asylum support, or it could affect your asylum claim."

A section on gender , external explains that women in the UK have equal rights to men, and do not need the permission from a husband, father, brother or any other man to do things like work, study, travel, or make decisions.

Another section on sex and consent sets out how both people must agree to sex or sexual contact of any kind, and consent cannot be given if someone is asleep, drunk, or unable to respond.