In a Policy paper The government, released on Monday, announced it would seek to make the status of many refugees temporary and gave the government new powers to deport refugees if it deemed the situation safe. It also abolished policies requiring the government to provide housing and legal support to those fleeing persecution, while extending the amount of time they need to wait for permanent residency to 20 years, instead of just five years, for those who arrive illegally.
The UK government also said it would try to change the way judges interpret human rights law to implement deportations more smoothly, including preventing migrants from using their rights to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to avoid deportation.
In an article by L Guardian It was published on Sunday by British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood Named The reforms are “the most significant and comprehensive changes to our asylum system in a generation.” She said it was necessary because increased immigration to the UK had sparked “dark forces” in the country who “seek to turn this anger into hatred”.
Leading the way is Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right British Reform Party National opinion polls Against the backdrop of a fierce anti-immigrant campaign, which has included calls to scrap the UK’s main route allowing migrants to become permanent residents, known as “Leave to Remain”.
Meanwhile, in September, more than 100,000 people gathered in London for an anti-immigrant demonstration. pool Led by Tommy Robinson, a notorious far-right figure who founded the anti-Muslim English Defense League (EDL). The event saw at least 26 police officers injured by protesters.
Last summer, riots then swept the United Kingdom False allegations– published by Robinson, Farage and other far-right figures – that the perpetrator of the fatal stabbing of two young girls and their caregiver was a Muslim asylum seeker. hotel Housing And setting fire to asylum seekers, Mosques It was vandalized and destroyed, many by immigrants and other ethnic minorities He was Brutally To be beaten.
Mahmoud said that if changes are not made to the asylum system, “we risk losing popular approval for having an asylum system at all.”
But as critics were quick to point out, the far right saw Labour’s crackdown as merely a sign that it was winning the war for hearts and minds.
Robinson Gloating to his followers that “The Overton window has been blown out. Well done, patriots!” While Farage He laughed Mahmoud “appears to be a supporter of reform.”
Many members of the Labor coalition expressed anger at their Liberal Party’s apparent alignment with the far right.
“The government should be ashamed that its immigration policies are being welcomed by Tommy Robinson and Reform.” He said Nadia Whittom, Labor MP for Nottingham East. He added: “Instead of standing up to hatred against immigrants, this lays the foundations for the far right.”
In a speech in Parliament, she criticized the Home Secretary’s comprehensive policy reform as “miserable”.
“It is shameful that a Labor government is ripping off the rights and protections of people who have suffered unimaginable trauma,” she said. “Is this how we want to be treated if we are running for our lives? Of course not.”
The UK has signed treaties, including the European Convention on Human Rights, obligating it to process the claims of those seeking asylum because they face persecution in their home countries on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, group membership or political opinion. according to Data From the Home Office, more than 111,000 people applied for asylum in the year from 2024 to June 25, more than double the number who applied for asylum in 2019.
This rise came as the number of displaced people around the world reached its highest level ever, exceeding 123.2 million at the end of 2024, according to a United Nations report. Norwegian Refugee Council, With desperate people seeking safety from escalating conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the Middle East.
In her op-ed, Mahmoud lamented that “the burden on taxpayers was unfair.” However, as progressive commentator Owen Jones He pointed outthe UK takes in The number of asylum seekers is much lower than its counterparts: “Last year, Germany received twice as many asylum seekers as the UK. France, Italy and Spain received 1.5 times that number. Per capita, we receive fewer than most EU countries. Poorer countries like Greece receive proportionately more than we do.”
The Labor government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is already in place Be proud It has illegally deported more than 50,000 people in the United Kingdom since coming to power in 2024, but it has done little to satisfy the far right, which has done little. continued To gain momentum at the polls despite the crackdown.
Under the new rules, the government is expected to be able to expedite many deportations, especially for families with children.
At the same time, the jewelery rule has become a powerful symbol of how Labor is shifting away from its promises of economic equality towards Austerity And punishing the most vulnerable groups.
“Labour will not redistribute wealth from billionaires.” He said Former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, now an independent MP. “But they will seize the property of those fleeing war and persecution.”
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