UK threatens to ban all Eritreans and restricts Eritrean diplomats over returns

Restrictions on Eritrean diplomats

From Thursday, 15 October, Eritrean diplomats in the UK may travel no more than 60 kilometres outside London without permission. The Home Office said the measures mirror restrictions already placed on British officials in Asmara, the Eritrean capital. Fast-track visas for Eritrean VIPs and officials have already been stopped. The UK government said Eritrea abruptly withdrew cooperation on returns earlier in 2026, and the new measures follow that decision. The Eritrean embassy in London was contacted for comment.

1. Earlier in 2026Eritrea abruptly withdraws cooperation on returns, according to the Home Office
2. Oct 15, 2026Restrictions on Eritrean diplomats take effect

A threat against an entire nationality

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned that all Eritreans could be stopped from entering the UK unless Asmara agrees to take back more rejected asylum seekers and foreign criminals. The warning covers people who have no right to be in the UK, not only small boat arrivals. Mahmood set out her condition in a statement issued by the Home Office.

My message to the Eritrean government is simple: take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK.

Mahmood also said she would not hesitate to impose further measures on other countries that refuse to cooperate. She argued that Eritrea has had every opportunity to act and has declined to do so. In explaining the decision, she said:

Eritrea has had every chance to accept the return of criminals and those with no right to be in the UK. Unlike other countries, it has refused.

Migration figures behind the move

Eritreans were the most common nationality among small boat migrants in the 12 months to June 2026, accounting for 18% of arrivals according to House of Commons Library figures. Nearly 6,000 Eritreans reached the UK across the Channel in the year to June, the highest number of any nationality. Just over 100 refused Eritrean asylum seekers were deported out of 2,626 whose claims were rejected in the past four years, equivalent to fewer than 4%. Home Office data shows more than 20,400 people had arrived by small boat in 2026 so far, down 40% on the same period last year. Between July 2025 and June 2026 there were more than 40,600 returns and deportations from the UK, an 8% increase on the previous year, though fewer than 6,000 of those returned had been convicted of a criminal offence.

Earlier sanctions and what follows

The UK has used visa threats over returns before. In 2025 it threatened sanctions against Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Angola and Namibia both agreed changes before restrictions were introduced, while the DRC faced visa restrictions before reaching an agreement with the UK in February. The Home Office said restrictions on the DRC have since been lifted after cooperation on returns improved. Ministers have also placed an emergency brake on visas for nationals of four countries, and study visas for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan have been halted, as have work visas for Afghans. The full entry ban on Eritreans remains a threat rather than a measure in force, while the diplomat restrictions apply from Thursday, 15 October.