MP, Labour’s Shadow Home
Secretary, responding to the Supreme Court’s ruling that
the government’s Rwanda asylum policy is unlawful, said:
“The Prime Minister’s flagship policy has completely failed. This
damning judgment on his Rwanda policy, where he has already spent
more than £140 million of taxpayers’ money, exposes Rishi Sunak’s
failure to get any grip or have any serious plan to tackle
dangerous boat crossings, which are undermining border security
and putting lives at risk.
“Labour argued from the start this plan is unworkable and
extortionately expensive, now it has been confirmed as unlawful
because the government failed to ensure they had a robust and
workable policy. Ministers knew about the weaknesses in this
scheme from the start and yet they insisted on making it their
flagship policy.
“The Conservatives have broken our asylum system leading to a
record asylum backlog, with 175,000 stuck in limbo, costing
British people £8 million a day in hotel bills. With 615 small
boat crossings last Sunday alone, the government must stop
chasing headlines and unworkable gimmicks, and urgently adopt
Labour’s plan to reduce the backlog and for a cross-border police
unit to go after the criminal gangs.”
Ends
Notes:
Labour’s five-point plan to reform the asylum system:
-
Crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs, through new
Cross-Border Police Unit and deeper security cooperation with
Europe
A Labour Government would crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs by
introducing stronger powers for the UK’s National Crime Agency to
restrict the movement of those suspected of being involved in
people smuggling and setting up a new cross-border police unit
with officers based in the UK and across Europe to tackle gangs
upstream.
That would include officers being posted directly to Europol to
collaborate on joint investigations and to identify and seize
boats upstream. Labour will also seek to negotiate a new security
agreement with Europe, including a replacement to SIS-II, to
allow for the real-time sharing of intelligence on people
smuggling suspects. To fund this, Labour would redirect spending
from the unworkable Rwanda scheme, which the government has
admitted is subject to a very high risk of fraud.
-
End hotel use, clear the Tory asylum backlog, and speed
up returns to safe countries
Labour will save the taxpayer billions by ending the use of
hotels for asylum seekers within 12 months and setting up a new
returns unit for safe countries. Labour will recruit over 1,000
Home Office caseworkers to clear the record Tory asylum backlog,
and a further 1,000 staff for a new returns unit so that those
who do not have a right to stay here can be quickly removed, and
we end the use of costly hotels at the taxpayers’ expense. Labour
will fast track decisions on applications from safe countries,
like India and Albania, which are unlikely to be granted; and
establish a new returns unit to reverse the 70% collapse in
asylum removals that the Tory Government has overseen since 2010.
-
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 for child refugees.
-
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.
