Two Sudanese asylum seekers are challenging a central element of Labour’s plans to strip refugees of basic rights, rejecting the home secretary’s accusation that they are “asylum shoppers”.

Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to halve refugees’ leave to remain in the UK, from five years to 30 months. Previously, people could apply for permanent settlement after five years but now refugees will have to wait 20 years before being eligible.

In the first legal challenge against this change, the two asylum seekers, both of whom have nightmares and flashbacks about being tortured in their home country, argue the policy is indirectly discriminatory and also would not act as a deterrent to asylum seekers.…