Labour makes contempt for refugees clear as UK goes to the polls

Two Sudanese asylum seekers intend to sue the Home Office for making getting asylum harder. And Labour’s contempt for refugees is clear as the UK goes to the polls. The government has increasingly tacked right on asylum, migration and refugees – and has every intention of following through.

The case centres on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plans “to strip refugees of basic rights” while branding them “asylum shoppers”.

The Guardian reported on 7 May:

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.

The two asylum seekers, who reported they were tortured in their country, claim:

the policy is indirectly discriminatory and also would not act as a deterrent to asylum seekers.

On 31 March it was reported the UK downgraded the current genocide in Sudan to avoid “pissing off” Gulf ally UAE. The UAE is arming one side in the war which had killed or displaced millions.

Simply put, the UK is directly culpable for the horrors in Sudan. And it is still trying to wash its hands of the fallout.

Labour: Mahmood’s ‘asylum shopping’ accusations

Mahmood has previously accused:

even “genuine refugees” of searching for the most attractive place to seek refuge, claiming that many “shop” their way across the continent.

The home secretary also wants to reduce:

the right for refugees to bring immediate family members, such as spouses and children under 18, to join them.

Instead, people will need to demonstrate they can financially support their family before such reunions are approved.

A lawyer for the pair told the Guardian:

 Our clients have initiated a legal challenge to the new policy to grant only temporary status to refugees, which is a cornerstone of her intended overhaul of the asylum system.

The lawyer said the policy was aimed at stopping small boats crossing the channel. The ‘small boats crisis’ is a major far-right talking point, adopted cynically and wholesale by Labour:

The home secretary’s position is that her policy will deter small boat arrivals, and will ensure that only people who genuinely need protection will have leave as refugees in the UK. Our clients argue that the home secretary’s policy is flawed and discriminatory.

However:

The evidence from countries such as Denmark and Australia is clear: granting temporary status to refugees will exacerbate mental and physical ill-health, adversely affect social integration and increase refugees’ risk of economic instability and of falling into poverty.

As the UK goes to the polls – and Labour politicians panic at a projected electoral wipeout – the party’s stance is clear. And it’s human rights lawyer leader, PM Keir Starmer, has long since abandoned any of the humanitarian impulses he once claimed motivate him.

Featured image via the Canary