Small boat failure would pave method for Farage ‘nightmare’ warns Shabana Mahmood
In a speech defending her controversial immigration shake-up, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will warn that small boats are making people fearful – risking a rise in ‘ethno-nationalism’
In a major speech Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will warn failure to tackle small boats could set up a Nigel Farage ‘nightmare’(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Shabana Mahmood will warn failure to tackle small boats will pave the way for a Nigel Farage “nightmare” – with far-right little Englanders growing stronger.
The Home Secretary will also turn her fire on the Green Party as she defends her controversial migration shake-up. Ms Mahmood faces a backbench backlash over plans to make refugee status temporary and withdraw support for asylum seekers.
She will announce asylum seekers who break the law or work illegally will be thrown out of taxpayer-funded accommodation, such as hotels. In a speech in central London, she will argue: “When people see small boat arrivals, at their current scale or they feel the pace and scale of migration today, they feel like we have lost control.
“A loss of control breeds fear and when fearful, people turn inwards. Their vision of this country narrows. Their patriotism turns into something smaller, something darker, an ethno-nationalism emerges. The idea of a greater Britain gives way to the lure of a littler England. And other voices – voices to the far right – take hold.”
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In a swipe at Reform and the Greens, she will claim her plans set a path between “Farage’s nightmare pulling up the drawbridge and shutting out the world” and “(Zack) Polanski’s fairy-tale of open borders”.
Yesterday(WED) Ms Mahmood announced an emergency brake was being placed on visas for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. On top of this work visas for Afghans will be scrapped.
This is in response to a spike in people coming to the UK legally and then claiming asylum, the Home Office said. The department said students from the four nations were using the legal route as a backdoor.
Ms Mahmood will insist her reforms will create a compassionate but controlled system. But she faces opposition from within the Labour Party for her hardline proposals – which also include doubling the time before migrants qualify for the right to permanently settle.
Refugees also have to go through fresh assessments every two-and-a-half years – and could be ordered to return to their homelands. Labour backbenchers have vowed to fight the proposals – arguing it is unfair to change the rules around indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for people who arrived under existing rules.
A letter signed by 30 Labour MPs, as well as peers and union leaders argues: “The British public believe in fair play: that if you work hard, follow the rules and contribute, government should tread lightly on your life. The government must uphold its promises – we cannot simply change the rules halfway through an agreed process.”
Ms Mahmood will argue Labour values are at the heart of her proposals, urging voters not to be tempted by the Greens. She is expected to say: “Some say, in response, that we should turn to the path proposed by the Greens.
“That we should create a world without borders, that nation states are social constructs and patriotism is a dirty word. To some, this might seem like harmless student politics. But the danger and the possible damage is real.”
In June, asylum seekers who break the law, have the ability to support themselves or have the right to work will no longer be entitled to support payments and accommodations.
This will make the UK less attractive to illegal migrants, Ms Mahmood will say. But Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, accused her of playing politics. He said: “The Home Secretary already has the power to deny support and accommodation to people seeking asylum who are not destitute or who have broken the rules.
“This is the latest in a long line of announcements from successive governments that bullies refugees for a bump in the polls rather than try to solve the real problems faced by people and communities – poverty, homelessness, and the rise of the far right.”
Imran Hussain, director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, said: “Britain needs an asylum system that is fair, controlled and restores public confidence, but these proposals do not achieve that. They ignore the fact that only those who will otherwise be destitute are given asylum accommodation and the vast majority of people seeking asylum are not legally allowed to work and are surviving on minimal support.
“Forcing people into destitution will not fix the system or deter people who have escaped torture or persecution. Instead, it is more likely to push them into sleeping rough, and shift costs on to local authorities and the NHS, making cases harder to resolve.”
And Sile Reynolds, head of asylum advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: “The men, women and children who come to the UK seeking sanctuary from torture and war just want what any of us would – safety, stability and the chance to rebuild their lives. Without the very basic support that many of them receive from the Government they would be homeless and destitute, at risk of violence and exploitation on the margins of our society.
“This policy change will increase the risk that survivors of torture – many of whom cannot work due to disability or trauma – will have their essential support stripped away.”
