It's come to my attention again that few people have any idea what the government's "stop the boats" illegal migration bill does, so:
It ends the right to seek asylum in the UK.
No decsions. No applications will be processed. From Afghans to Albanians. Limbo forever for all.
There are infinitessimally small caveats but this is essentially the truth & the whole story.
In plain & simple terms: No one coming to us for help (or any reason) will have their claim for protection heard anymore, ever.
They'll all be detained, all be left in barges & hotels.
Actually, I shouldnt have used Albania because, exceptionally, while they'll be denied the right to apply for asylum like everyone else, Albanians specifically won't all be in limbo forever, rather illegally deported- meaning any who do need protection will be sent back to danger
But everyone else, no matter where they are coming from - Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran - will never have their claims heard and will be left in limbo, with the power to lock them in detention without access to courts, forever.
The bill ends the right to asylum.
That is why UNHCR - the guardian of the Refugee Convention - calls it a #RefugeeBanBill & says it is clearly incompatible with international law.
For good measure, it's also incompatible with Conventions on:
- Trafficking
- Statelessness
- Against Torture
- Rights of the Child
& that is why, in my Newsnight interview, I said the government has stopped doing it's job, which is to process asylum claims.
1% of claims received last year have received a decision.
But anyone who arrived since 7 March 2023 will NEVER receive one.
Very few asylum seekers will ever be sent there, but this morning, thousands of homeless men, women & children who came to us with nothing & asked for help but we left in limbo, have fear hanging over them of violent deportation to a dictatorship #r4today
And it’s the violence I want you to think about today.
Because there is no way to carry out the deportations Sunak is crowing about without serious violence.
People will struggle, they’ll be restrained, may attempt to self harm or kill themselves. Over & over again. #r4today
The reason he can talk about flight after flight & bragged about hundreds of agents trained to enforce removals, that’s because it takes violence.
Multiple agents per human to force them onto the plane.
Flights filled with enforcement staff & a few desperate refugees. #r4today
I think we’re still very unlikely to see a May election. I tend to agree with those like @lewis_goodall who argue, why would Sunak go for certain defeat today, over probable defeat tomorrow?
But there’s a scenario playing out in my head now that I can’t stop thinking about, so…
We know the Labour lords are not planning to stand up too hard against the “safety of Rwanda” bill. Maybe one or two rounds of pinpoint but likely wrapped up within a week.
That means the bill is almost certain to pass unamended by 26 March when parliament rises.
If it does, given all the stories about training border guards to pin people down and force them onto planes “properly” are probably true,
And assuming they’ve identified a airline company willing to carry out the flights, too, which they all have their price for I’m afraid.
The news will be all about Galloway today - that’s why the government published these 13 immigration inspection reports in one go yesterday, to bury them.
But the scale & degree of chaos, mismanagement, dereliction of duty & incompetence they reveal is astounding, truly #r4today
(former Independent Chief Inspector of Borders & Immigration sacked last week by Cleverly for telling the papers about chaos at the Home Office who sat on 14 of his reports in a row without publishing them)
"I've been sacked for doing my job and doing what the law requires of me"
Oooh he's mad.
The key issue that led to this point is his recent report that claims there are serious failures to conduct adequate safety checks at City Airport when private jets arrive in the country.
Cleverly says his findings are factually incorrect, he insists they are rigorous & correct.