Central News Agency (Central News Agency, London, June 29, Foreign News) In an effort to curb illegal immigration, the UK today released its latest measures. Asylum seekers may in the future be required to repay the government approximately 10,000 pounds (about 420,000 NTD) in accommodation and basic living subsidies before they are eligible to apply for residency. Reuters reported that immigration is a key focus of political debate in the UK and often one of the issues voters care about most in opinion polls, sometimes even leading to protests and community tensions. The center-left Labour Party has recently intensified its efforts to prevent the influx of legal and illegal immigrants, fully countering the rise of Reform UK. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has promised to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that her latest reform plan aims to reduce the burden on taxpayers. She said, "Receiving asylum assistance is both a right and a responsibility. Once they are able to contribute and reciprocate the goodwill of the British people, we expect them to do so." The UK government stated that the new draft rules will only apply to adults who can afford the fee and will include safeguards to prevent them from falling into poverty. The new rules will not be retroactive, and children will be exempt. The timing of this measure is politically sensitive for the Labour Party, which is divided on how tough its immigration policy should be, and faces greater uncertainty following Keir Starmer's announcement of his resignation as Prime Minister. The UK Home Office estimates that the cost of accommodating asylum seekers averages 23.25 pounds (about 980 NTD) per person per night in temporary accommodation, and 144 pounds (about 6,000 NTD) when staying in hotels, in addition to weekly living allowances. Last year, expenditures on asylum accommodation and related subsidies were approximately 4 billion pounds (about 168.7 billion NTD). (Intern Ed