Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Rogue state?
Yesterday's announcement by the Prime Minister that he is going to intensify the hostile environment against asylum seekers and other migrants must surely put the UK on track to be considered an international pariah by those other countries who are doing all they can to relieve the suffering caused by war, famine and climate change.
According to the Guardian, Sunak insisted he can clear a backlog of nearly 100,000 asylum claims by the end of next year as part of a set of policies that include resuming “hostile environment” checks on bank accounts suspended after the Windrush scandal:
The prime minister outlined a five-point plan in the Commons including law changes to criminalise and then remove tens of thousands of people who claim asylum after travelling to the UK by small boats, and a deal with Albania to aid removals to the Balkan state.
But the plan, the details of which have not been released, was criticised by some Conservative MPs including Theresa May, who said that one announcement – a promise to overhaul modern slavery laws – might undermine protections for victims.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said Sunak was indulging in more “unworkable gimmicks” as promised by other Tory prime ministers. A majority of those who arrive by small boats qualify as legitimate refugees fleeing wars and famine, charities said.
Sunak said he would also revive data-sharing powers to stop migrants who have arrived in the UK by irregular means from obtaining bank accounts.
“It is frankly absurd that today illegal immigrants can get bank accounts which help them live and work here,” he told MPs. “So we will restart data sharing to stop this.”
The powers were suspended four years ago in the wake of the Windrush scandal amid fears that people wrongly identified as illegal migrants were being denied bank accounts, the Guardian’s former home affairs editor Alan Travis pointed out on Twitter.
An inquiry by a government watchdog in 2017 found that one in 10 people refused a bank account because of a failed immigration check were wrongly denied access.
Colin Yeo, the immigration specialist barrister and author, said the development was a “massive” potential problem for those caught up in the Home Office’s faltering systems.
“There are huge problems with Home Office data,” he said. “Banks have to shut your account if a check against that data flags you.
“There’s basically no remedy. That’s it, game over, you can’t eat, travel or pay your rent.”
As the paper points out the asylum backlog has ballooned, with 143,377 people awaiting an initial decision on their application and unable to work. Many of those trying to cross the channel to claim asylum have a genuine case, but the government has effectively closed off any legitimate route that they can use.
Fortress Britain is on course to becoming a rogue state, ignoring its international obligations and in breach of international law.
According to the Guardian, Sunak insisted he can clear a backlog of nearly 100,000 asylum claims by the end of next year as part of a set of policies that include resuming “hostile environment” checks on bank accounts suspended after the Windrush scandal:
The prime minister outlined a five-point plan in the Commons including law changes to criminalise and then remove tens of thousands of people who claim asylum after travelling to the UK by small boats, and a deal with Albania to aid removals to the Balkan state.
But the plan, the details of which have not been released, was criticised by some Conservative MPs including Theresa May, who said that one announcement – a promise to overhaul modern slavery laws – might undermine protections for victims.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said Sunak was indulging in more “unworkable gimmicks” as promised by other Tory prime ministers. A majority of those who arrive by small boats qualify as legitimate refugees fleeing wars and famine, charities said.
Sunak said he would also revive data-sharing powers to stop migrants who have arrived in the UK by irregular means from obtaining bank accounts.
“It is frankly absurd that today illegal immigrants can get bank accounts which help them live and work here,” he told MPs. “So we will restart data sharing to stop this.”
The powers were suspended four years ago in the wake of the Windrush scandal amid fears that people wrongly identified as illegal migrants were being denied bank accounts, the Guardian’s former home affairs editor Alan Travis pointed out on Twitter.
An inquiry by a government watchdog in 2017 found that one in 10 people refused a bank account because of a failed immigration check were wrongly denied access.
Colin Yeo, the immigration specialist barrister and author, said the development was a “massive” potential problem for those caught up in the Home Office’s faltering systems.
“There are huge problems with Home Office data,” he said. “Banks have to shut your account if a check against that data flags you.
“There’s basically no remedy. That’s it, game over, you can’t eat, travel or pay your rent.”
As the paper points out the asylum backlog has ballooned, with 143,377 people awaiting an initial decision on their application and unable to work. Many of those trying to cross the channel to claim asylum have a genuine case, but the government has effectively closed off any legitimate route that they can use.
Fortress Britain is on course to becoming a rogue state, ignoring its international obligations and in breach of international law.
