, Labour’s Shadow
Immigration Minister, commenting on the National Audit
Office’s report that Home Office spending on asylum almost
doubled to £3.6bn last year, said:
“The Conservatives have lost control of the asylum backlog, which
has risen from 19,000 in 2010 to an astonishing 172,000 today at
an astronomical cost to the taxpayer.
“Today’s NAO report shows that the cost of the asylum system last
year was even greater than previously reported – almost doubling
to an astonishing £3.6bn.
“The NAO is right to highlight how the Prime Minister’s focus on
the ‘legacy claims’ is in essence a red herring, and that the
actual backlog is likely to see an influx of another 23,000
claims by December.
“The Prime Minister has admitted that the asylum system is
broken. To fix it, we need the Labour Party’s 5-point plan to end
the small boat crossings, defeat the criminal smuggler
gangs, speed up asylum case processing, and
end the use of hotels.”
Ends
Notes:
Labour’s five-point plan to reform the asylum system:
-
Crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs, through new
Cross-Border Police Unit
A Labour Government would redirect spending from the unworkable
Rwanda scheme, which the government has admitted is subject to a
very high risk of fraud, to set up a new cross-border police unit
to crack down on smuggling gangs. This would include millions of
pounds of new investment in the NCA. Officers would be based in
the UK and throughout Europe to tackle the gangs upstream. This
would be supported with an urgent review to identify the gaps in
enforcement against smuggling gangs, with the findings used to
lay out an Action Plan to be delivered by the NCA and Border
Force, in collaboration with international allies and Europol.
-
Clear the backlog and end hotel use
The Home Office is taking 9,000 fewer asylum decisions a year
than they were in 2015, leaving people waiting in limbo for much
longer and pushing up accommodation costs. Fast tracking cases
for Albania and other safe countries, introducing triage and
restoring proper casework standards and targets will mean quicker
support for those who are refugees, much quicker returns for
those who are not, and stopping costly hotel use.
-
Reform resettlement routes to stop people being
exploited by gangs
Labour would redesign the existing resettlement schemes which are
not currently working properly so that they include a clearer
process for refugees with family connections in the UK to be
considered for resettlement, preventing them being exploited by
criminal gangs or making dangerous journeys.
-
New agreement with France and other countries on
returns and family reunion
Labour would negotiate a new agreement which includes safe
returns and safe family reunions.
-
Tackle humanitarian crises at source helping refugees
in their region
Labour would work in partnership internationally to address some
of the humanitarian crises that are leading people to flee their
homes including restoring the 0.7% aid commitment when the fiscal
situation allows and strengthening support for the people of
Afghanistan, currently the largest group trying to cross the
Channel.
