This report is a damning indictment of how this Tory Government treats refugees - Abbott

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, speaking in response to the launch of a UK report from the Refugee Council, said:

“This report is a damning indictment of how this Tory Government treats refugees.

“The complex, arbitrary and hostile processes they have introduced have created a bureaucratic mess, with a backlog of almost 25,000 cases.

“Ministers urgently need to implement a streamlined system that assesses claims fairly and in a timely way, and treats asylum-seekers humanely.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• ·         The UK country report from the Refugee Council can be found here: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/4865_new_analysis_of_uk_asylum_system_published
• ·         There was a backlog of 24,903 unprocessed cases at the Home Office at December 31, 2016 (p.19)