- Christy Cooney
- BBC News
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The United Nations refugee agency said the British government’s proposed asylum law was “deeply worrying” and would deter even those with satisfactory claims.
Vicky Tennant, UNHCR’s representative in the UK, told the BBC that the move would violate international law and would not necessarily stop the crossings.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “ready to fight” for the law to be enforced and to overcome legal challenges.
Labor said the plans threatened to “worse the chaos”.
The government has outlined new legislation that will effectively ban people coming to Britain illegally to seek asylum.
It prohibits anyone who entered the country illegally from returning or claiming British citizenship in the future.
The move is part of an effort to cope with the increasing number of people arriving in Britain via Channel crossings each year.
Asked about his reaction to the plans, which were aired on the BBC’s “Newsnight”, Tennant said: “We’re very concerned. It’s preventing people from ever coming to Britain from asylum.”
“We believe this is a clear violation of the Refugee Convention, and we remember that even those with the most convincing claims will not have the opportunity to make them,” he added.
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Sunak says he will fight for law enforcement.
First signed in 1951, the Refugee Convention is a multilateral treaty that defines who qualifies as a refugee and the obligations of signatory countries to protect them.
Tennant said Britain had a “long-standing humanitarian heritage” and that immigration problems could be resolved through proper controls and a better management system.
“Let the asylum system work. Establish fair, efficient and speedy asylum procedures,” he added.
“If people don’t qualify for asylum, send them back to their countries.”
Speaking to Newsnight, Conservative MP Richard Graham said the government had to decide whether policy was being implemented “firmly, sympathetically and without overreach”.
“There are really interesting signs in Strasbourg, where the European Court of Human Rights is located, that they are hearing our case,” he added – but gave no details.
Home Secretary Sovella Braverman has written to all Conservative MPs saying the law is “more than 50 per cent compliant” with the European Convention on Human Rights and is widely expected to face legal challenges.
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Interior Minister Zoila Braverman said the bill contained a high percentage of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.
What does the new law mean?
- Those expelled from the UK will be barred from regaining British citizenship in the future
- Migrants are not released on bail and cannot seek judicial review during the first 28 days of detention.
- There will be a cap on the number of refugees who can come to the UK through ‘safe and legal routes’ – set annually by Parliament.
- It is the Home Secretary’s duty to detain people coming to Britain illegally and deport them to Rwanda or a ‘safe’ third country – and this takes legal precedence over anyone’s right to asylum.
- Deportation can be delayed for people under 18, medically unfit to fly or at risk of serious harm in the country to which they will be deported.
- And asylum applications are heard remotely after deportation
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told a Downing Street news conference that he believed Britain would not need to leave the European Court of Human Rights to pass the law and that the government was “meeting our international obligations”.
He added, “I understand that there will be a debate about the seriousness of these measures. I can only say that we have tried other means and it has not worked.”
He stated that his policy is very simple, this country and its government should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs.
He added that he believed the policy would “very quickly” have a deterrent effect on people trying to come to Britain illegally.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the government of “allowing criminal gangs to take over the length of the canal” and failing to punish people smugglers.
“If the government is serious, it will seek an appropriate new agreement with France and Europe at the international level, including return agreements, properly regulated and managed legal channels such as family reunification, and resettlement reforms,” he said.
“The proposed bill is not a solution. It is a hoax that risks increasing confusion,” he added.
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