Can you be a humanitarian charity like forRefugees and be non-political? I don’t know, but recently things have got so bad in the U.K. asylum system I’ve certainly had to find my voice.
On the evening Liz Truss became U.K. PM. and “the worst” Home Secretary Priti Patel resigned, I was with this lovely lot - Humanitarians Together - at the Houses of Parliament.
Instigator, Lib Dem peer Lord Roger Roberts, proposes a humanitarian manifesto. A focused and realistic list of asks of our U.K. asylum system, taking into account environmental and economic factors often dismissed or used against vulnerable people. A manifesto to be shared and consulted with all parties collaboratively seeking agreement on asylum going forward.
Humanity not hostility.
The next day, Suella Braverman was named new Home Secretary and we leapt from the frying pan (Patel) into the fire .
It’s funny/not funny but the U.K. has done for Ukrainians in 6 months what they’ve refused to do for 6 years for all other asylum seekers and refugees.
They’ve provided safe and legal routes.
More than 100,000 Ukrainians have travelled safely to the UK and been resettled almost seamlessly in the U.K. on new visa programmes since February. Absorbed mostly happily into the U.K. with little noise or impact on daily life. In the same period fewer than 8,000 asylum seekers from all other county's worldwide had their claims processed and accepted.
At the same time as making safe routes available to Ukrainian refugees using their Government issued documents, Patel cooked up the Anti-Immigration Bill (Nationality and Borders Bill) for all others and an excruciatingly expensive offshoring plan for non-Ukrainian adult male refugees, to Rwanda. Some of the 8,000 international asylum claims accepted were Rwandan, such is their human rights record.
Now it’s been proven that when safe, documented routes are offered, people take them. That safe and documented routes are by far the most cost effective. AND that they lead to better integration. Now that’s all proven beyond any doubt. We ask -
Why aren’t these policies being expanded to all asylum seekers?
You tell us.
