Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs, who fled the Nazis as a child, has launched a powerful critique of the government's newly announced hardline asylum system reforms, labelling them the "wrong direction" for the UK.
What are the new asylum rules?
The controversial changes were unveiled by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday, sparking unease even among Labour MPs. The plans include instructing officials to be less hesitant about deporting families with children. Furthermore, refugees will have their status reviewed every two-and-a-half years, creating a mechanism for their removal if their country of origin is later deemed safe by UK authorities.
Defending the measures in the Commons, Ms Mahmood stated it is an "uncomfortable truth" that the UK's "generous" asylum support acts as a draw for people seeking to come to the country.
A voice of experience and protest
Lord Dubs, a renowned campaigner for refugee rights, voiced his profound disappointment with the proposals. Having fled Prague in 1939 as part of the Kindertransport rescue effort, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the plans left him feeling "depressed".
He argued that the government's hardline approach will "increase tensions in local communities, and will make this country less welcoming." He expressed his distress at the adoption of such a stringent line, stating, "what we need is a bit of compassion in our politics."
Lord Dubs was particularly scathing about the potential deportation of children, a direct consequence of the new rules. "To use children as a weapon as the Home Secretary is doing I think is a shabby thing," he said. He raised urgent questions about the fate of children born in the UK to asylum-seeking parents, asking what would happen to those who have attended school and become part of the community.
Warnings and government defence
The peer also issued a stark warning regarding the plan to return refugees to countries later declared safe. "I think we need to be very careful before we return people to 'safe' countries to make sure they are safe," he cautioned. "Otherwise, we are simply doing the worst thing of all, which is sending people back into danger. We're a better country than that."
In response to the criticism, Cabinet Minister Steve Reed defended the shake-up on Tuesday. He stated that all Labour MPs were elected on a manifesto commitment to "securing our borders". Mr Reed argued that compassion exists on both sides of the debate, pointing to the tragic deaths of 14 children in the English Channel over the past year as a consequence of perilous journeys incentivised by the current system.
