UK's Proposed Asylum Law Sparks Concerns, Breaks International Law, Says UNHCR

The UK government's proposed asylum law, which would effectively ban anyone arriving in the country via an illegal route from claiming asylum, has been met with severe criticism from the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR. According to Vicky Tennant, the UNHCR's representative to the UK, the measure would break international law and is not needed to stop Channel crossings. The UK has seen a significant increase in people arriving via Channel crossings, from around 300 in 2018 to over 45,000 in 2022.

Key Takeaways:

• The proposed asylum law would block even those with a compelling claim from seeking asylum in the UK.
• The law would break the Refugee Convention, a multilateral treaty that sets out who qualifies as a refugee and the obligations of signatory states to protect them.
• The UK has a "longstanding humanitarian tradition" and issues with migration could be addressed with proper controls and a better-administered system.
• The government's policy should be judged on whether it is implemented with "determination, compassion, and proportion", according to Conservative MP Richard Graham.
• The new law would mean that people removed from the UK will be blocked from returning or seeking British citizenship in future.
• Migrants will not get bail or be able to seek judicial review for the first 28 days of detention.
• There will be a cap on the number of refugees the UK will settle through "safe and legal routes" -- set annually by Parliament.
• A duty on the home secretary to detain those arriving in the UK illegally and remove them to Rwanda or a "safe" third country -- this will take legal precedence over someone's right to claim asylum.
• Under-18s, those medically unfit to fly, or those at risk of serious harm in the country they are being removed to will be able to delay removal.

Statistics:

• The number of people arriving in the UK via Channel crossings rose from around 300 in 2018 to over 45,000 in 2022.
• There is a "more than a 50% chance" that the legislation is not compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), according to Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
• The UK has a "longstanding humanitarian tradition" that issues with migration could be addressed with proper controls and a better-administered system.

Sources:

• BBC News: "Government's asylum law 'breaks international law', UNHCR says"
• Downing Street news conference: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's speech on the proposed asylum law
• Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper's speech in the Commons: "Government's asylum bill is a con that risks making the chaos worse"
• UNHCR's representative to the UK, Vicky Tennant's interview on BBC's Newsnight: "We're very concerned. This is effectively closing off access to asylum in the UK for people arriving irregularly."