The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called on Andy Burnham's government to do more to stop asylum seekers falling into poverty, urging that more migrants should gain access to benefits. The watchdog also criticised the Labour Government for scrapping a scheme that helped migrants find work.
EHRC criticises benefit rules
In its assessment, the EHRC criticised the UK for consulting on a potential move to extend rules around "no recourse to public funds" (NRPF), which deny benefits to a number of migrants. Ministers are examining whether to apply these rules to those granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
ILR grants non-British nationals the right to live, work and study in the UK and to apply for benefits. People with NRPF cannot claim most benefits, housing assistance or tax credits.
UN recommendations backed
EHRC chair Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said UN recommendations include steps the Government could take to improve how migrants arrive, settle and contribute to the UK. She said this should speed up their integration into society and improve social cohesion in communities.
Dr Stephenson added: "That's why we are calling on the UK government to implement the outstanding recommendations for promoting economic, cultural and social rights in full."
Political backlash
The EHRC's call sparked a backlash, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp describing the demands as "ridiculous". He said they show exactly why such bodies need to be stripped of any control over Government policy.
Mr Philp told the Daily Mail: "There is not a word from them speaking up for the hardworking British families struggling with their own bills, but these open-borders activists never miss a chance to lobby for more benefits for immigrants."
Alp Mehmet, who chairs Migration Watch UK, told the same publication that the UN "seems utterly divorced from the real world".
Human rights framework
Dr Stephenson said: "Everyone in the UK is covered by [the UN's] human rights framework, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.
"But our human rights only work when they protect each and every one of us, including migrants and asylum seekers. When the Government fail to protect the rights of one group, it puts everyone’s rights at risk."
In March last year the UN recommended the Government review benefits access for migrants and asylum seekers to ensure the rules do not "expose migrant households to a higher risk of poverty and precarity". The watchdog ranked the Government as having taken "inconsistent action" – the lowest ranking on its human rights tracker – meaning it judged it to have taken action which does not align with the UN's recommendations.
Some positive steps on upholding rights were noted, including maintaining free English language lessons for some refugees and asylum seekers.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We will always provide sanctuary to those who genuinely need it. We take the safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously.
"The Home Secretary has overhauled Britain’s immigration system to restore fairness and control to our borders while reducing the burden on local communities. We are closing every asylum hotel, bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and delivering record-high removals of individuals illegally in the UK."
