Shabana Mahmood said illegal immigration was causing "huge divides" in the UK, and added: "I do believe we need to act if we are to retain public consent for having an asylum system at all."
Politics latest: Mahmood dismisses 'tittle-tattle' over leadership rumours
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Ms Mahmood said the government would set out changes to the asylum system in a bid to reduce the "pull factor" for those arriving in the UK via small boat.
The home secretary has been looking to Denmark for inspiration, where there are tighter rules on family reunions and restrictions on how long refugees can stay.
Measures that are expected to be announced on Monday include changing the rules so that people who are granted asylum in the UK will only be allowed to stay temporarily, and will have their refugee status subject to regular review.
The statutory legal duty to provide asylum seeker support, including housing and weekly allowances, is expected to be revoked.
Ms Mahmood said such changes were needed to fix the "broken" asylum system.
'Moral mission'
But asked how she would respond to those who believe the government has been "panicked into a racist immigration policy", Ms Mahmood said: "I reject that entirely."
"I am the child of immigrants," she said. "My parents came to this country legally, in the late 60s and early 70s. This is a moral mission for me."
Ms Mahmood said she had observed how illegal migration had been "creating division across our country".
"I can see that it is polarising communities across the country. I can see that it is dividing people and making them estranged from one another. I don't want to stand back and watch that happen in my country."
Under current UK rules, people who are granted refugee status have it for five years and can then apply for indefinite leave to remain and get on a route to citizenship.
The government has already announced it will change the rules around indefinite leave to remain with a new set of requirements, including how much someone contributes to the UK and higher English language requirements.
The move to impose tighter restrictions have been interpreted as a way for Labour to counter the threat posed by Nigel Farage and Reform UK, which has laid out plans to deport people who already have ILR - which gives people the right to settle, work and study in the UK and even claim benefits, even if they do not then apply to be British citizens.
Ms Mahmood said that highlighting issues in the system did not amount to making "right-wing talking points or fake news" and that the government had a "genuine problem to fix".
Although Ms Mahmood is seeking to emulate aspects of the Danish asylum system, she is not copying it in full.
In Denmark, asylum seekers' access to public housing is restricted in certain areas where there are more than 30% of ethnic minorities, low levels of education and low incomes.
The home secretary said she was not going to "dictate where people live based on percentages".
Asked if this was one of the measures the UK government may adopt, the home secretary said: "That's not the sort of country that we are."
Alongside bringing in measures to mimic Denmark, Ms Mahmood said she would also announce plans to reform the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - aspects of which she said had been used to "frustrate the removal" of those with no right to be in the UK.
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Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said Labour's plans to reduce immigration were merely a "series of gimmicks" while Zia Yusuf, Reform's head of policy, claimed Ms Mahmood would be blocked from bringing in her plans by her own MPs.
Meanwhile, the SNP have branded the government's reforms to asylum policy "outrageous", and have accused Labour of "dancing to Nigel Farage's tune on immigration".
The party's concerns were echoed by the Greens, whose deputy leader Mothin Ali said the furore over the number of people arriving in the UK on small boats was a "very manufactured problem".
He told Sky News: "To me, it feels like a very manufactured problem. It's a problem that's been created to create outrage."
Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesperson, told Sky News it was "right" that the government was aiming to tackle illegal migration, but said some of the language used had been a "bit uncomfortable".
She's been in the job for 73 days - and is now announcing "the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times" - effectively since the Second World War.
Politics latest: Mahmood dismisses 'tittle-tattle' over leadership rumours
Her language is not just tough - it's radical. Not what you'd have expected to hear from a Labour home secretary even just a few months ago.
"Illegal migration", she believes, "is tearing our country apart. The crisis at our borders is out of control".
Her team argues that those never-ending images of people crossing the Channel in small boats have led to a complete loss of faith in the government's ability to take any action at all - let alone deliver on its promises.
The political reality is that successive failures of Tory and Labour ministers have fuelled the inexorable rise of Reform.
But speaking to Sir Trevor Phillips on Sky News, Ms Mahmood firmly hit back at suggestions today's announcements are pandering to a racist narrative from the far right.
"It's not right-wing talking points or fake news or misinformation that is suggesting that we've got a problem," she said.
"I know, because I have now seen this system inside out. It is a broken system. We have a genuine problem to fix. People are angry about something that is real.
"It is my job, therefore, to think of a proper solution to this very real problem, to do so in line with my values as a Labour politician, but also as a British citizen, and to have solutions that work so that I can unite a divided country."
There are many striking elements to this.
While she's not been in the job for all that long, her government has been in power for 16 months. Her own press release highlights that over the past full calendar year asylum claims here have gone up by 18% - compared with a drop of 13% elsewhere in the EU.
The UK, she argues, has become a "golden ticket" for asylum seekers due to "far more generous terms" than other countries in Europe.
While she politely insists that her predecessor's policies - the one in one out deal with France, closer partnership with law enforcement across Europe - are beginning to take effect, the message is clear. No one in office before Shabana has had the stomach to grasp the nettle.
The Home Office is determined to present their boss as the new hard woman of British politics.
In a bleak warning to those in her party who will be deeply uncomfortable with this unflinching approach, we're told she believes this is "the last chance for decent, moderate politics".
"If these moderate forces fail, something darker will follow…. if you don't like this, you won't like what follows me."
That's a clear reference to the anti-asylum policies of Reform and the Conservatives, who are pledging to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and deport all illegal arrivals.
Both parties have responded by effectively claiming they don't trust Labour to deliver on this, given they believe the government has lost control of our borders and overseen a surge in asylum claims.
That much Ms Mahmood herself has already acknowledged.
It's unusual to hear a Conservative shadow minister like Chris Philp responding to a government announcement by claiming they will support the "sensible steps" the Home Office is making.
Unsurprisingly, he went on to belittle her ideas as "very small steps" combined with "gimmicks" - but the main thrust of his critique was that Labour lacks the authority to push these kinds of measures through parliament, given the likely opposition from their own left wingers.
It's a fair point - but the lack of fundamental disagreement highlights the threat these plans pose to her opponents.
If the government looks like it might actually succeed in bringing down the numbers - and of course that's a colossal if - Ms Mahmood will effectively have outflanked and neutralised much of the threat from both the Tories and Reform.
That's why she's so keen to mention her Danish inspiration - a centre-left government which managed to see off the threat from right-wing parties through its tough approach to migration, without having to leave the ECHR.
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The Home Office is planning further announcements on new safe and legal routes.
But refugee charities have described the new measures as harsh, claiming they will scapegoat genuine refugees, fail to integrate them into society, and fail to function as a deterrent either.
There will surely be an almighty internal row among Labour MPs about the principle of ripping up the post-war settlement for refugees.
For a government floundering after the political chaos of the last few weeks and months, Ms Mahmood is a voice of certainty and confidence.
At a moment of such intense backroom debate over the party's future direction, it's hard to avoid seeing her performance this weekend as a starting pitch for the leadership.
The victims were Chloe McGee, 23, and Shay Duffy, 21, both from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan; Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath in Co Meath; and Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee in Co Louth, and Chloe Hipson, 21, from Lanarkshire in Scotland.
The collision happened on the L3168 in Gibstown, Dundalk, shortly after 9pm.
The five were travelling together in a Volkswagen Golf while on their way to Dundalk for a night out, police believe.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, also in his 20s, was "removed" from the car and taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where he was treated for "serious non-life-threatening injuries", said Superintendent Charlie Armstrong.
The Golf was in a collision with a Toyota Land Cruiser.
A man and a woman in the second vehicle were also taken to the same hospital.
Their injuries are described as "non-life-threatening".
Praise for emergency response
Superintendent Armstrong said an investigation into the road crash was under way, as he praised the emergency services.
He said: "The scene was very difficult, in adverse weather conditions, and the professionalism shown by all first responders and the care and respect shown to the five deceased was exemplary."
"This is a shocking, devastating event for these families, their communities and the community here in Dundalk," he added.
He also said family liaison officers have been appointed to each of the families and police will keep them updated.
'Veil of deep sadness'
Ireland's prime minister Micheal Martin said he was "numbed and shocked" at the news, while his deputy, Simon Harris, said a "veil of deep sadness" had come over the country.
Mr Martin said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these young people, and those injured.
"We also think of our first responders, who worked so professionally in truly devastating circumstances."
Mr Harris said of the emergency services: "One cannot even imagine the extraordinarily difficult and tragic circumstances in which they found themselves working last night as they set about trying to help in the most harrowing of situations."
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Superintendent Armstrong urged anyone with information about the collision to contact the investigation team.
He said: "I am appealing to any person who was on the L3168 between 8.30pm and 9.15pm, last night Saturday November 15 2025, to contact the Garda investigation team.
"I am appealing to any person who might have any camera footage or images from the L3168, Gibstown area, between 8.30pm and 9.15pm last night, to give that footage or images to the investigation team at Dundalk Garda Station."
The L3168 was closed between the N52 and the R171 as forensic experts investigated, and traffic diversions were in place.
Temperatures dropped to -7C (19.4F) in Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands on Saturday night, the lowest since 20 March, according to the Met Office.
It's set to get colder at the start of the week, with the weather agency raising the possibility of snow ahead, and a "marked wind chill" expected across much of the country.
Storm Claudia brought heavy rain across the south of England and Wales, with a major incident declared in Monmouth on Saturday after severe flooding.
Check the weather forecast where you are
According to the Sky Weather team, by early next week, daytime temperatures will be around 10C lower in parts of the south.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said high pressure to the northwest "will drive a cold northerly flow from the Arctic", bringing with it "much colder conditions than of late".
"There will be widespread frosts across the UK, with temperatures dipping as low as -7C in places next week, and daytime temperatures staying in single figures across the country," he added.
"Couple this with a brisk northerly wind, and there will be a marked wind chill. This will be a notable change in our weather after a prolonged spell of above-average temperatures."
Mr Holley also said "there will be a risk of wintry hazards, such as snow and ice".
Cold weather warnings next week
It comes after the UK Health Security Agency issued a cold weather warning for parts of the Midlands and northern England from Monday.
The cold weather alert is in place from 8am on Monday until 8am on Friday. It covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber.
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Flood warnings follow Storm Claudia
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has warned that flooding will continue throughout the remainder of the weekend as the remnants of Storm Claudia move south.
Some 119.6mm of rainfall was recorded at a Natural Resources Wales rain gauge in southeast Wales, in the 12 hours to 6am on Saturday while 80.6mm was recorded over the same period at Suckley, Worcestershire.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member was last seen at about 10.30pm on Friday.
The search has been taking place in the sea off the northwest coast between Tory Island, Co Donegal, and Eagle Island, Co Mayo.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: "After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found.
"My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members.
"I am hugely grateful to the Irish authorities, the RNLI, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy who have responded rapidly to this incident and have worked tirelessly on the search."
No further details have been released about the crew member and their family has requested privacy.
The Irish Coast Guard said they received a distress call before 9am on Saturday from a UK naval support vessel.
They immediately launched a search and rescue operation after the serviceperson was declared missing.
The RFA comprises sailors - officers and ratings - who are employed as civil servants rather than members of the armed forces. Its ships provide vital support to the Royal Navy.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship's company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended.
"The individual's family have been informed, and an investigation is now under way into the incident. No other individuals have been harmed or reported missing."
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The search, which involved the Irish Coast Guard, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, RNLI and Irish authorities, was coordinated by the Irish Coast Guard's maritime rescue sub centre at Malin, a village in County Donegal.
Ireland's department of transport said that this had involved UK naval support vessels and three RNLI all weather lifeboats based at Ballyglass, Arranmore Island and Lough Swilly.
The Irish Coast Guard also deployed two planes and a helicopter to assist from the air.