London, Nov 16 (PTI) Illegal immigration is tearing Britain apart and tougher measures such as an extended waiting period of 20 years for refugees to acquire permanent residency are required to unite the country, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Sunday.

During a round of media interviews ahead of a planned statement in the House of Commons on Monday, the South Asian heritage Cabinet minister described the issues as a “moral mission" for her to fix the country’s broken asylum system.

It confirmed earlier reports of the UK Home Office’s plans to model the latest immigration crackdowns on a tough system followed by Denmark.

“I can see — and I know my colleagues can — that illegal migration is tearing our country apart. It’s our job as a Labour government to unite our country and i

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