The Greater Manchester Mayor said the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was right to “grasp the nettle” and reform the system – but warned it could leave people in ‘limbo’
Andy Burnham has warned the government asylum seeker shake-up could leave people in “limbo” – and hit integration.
The Greater Manchester Mayor said the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was right to “grasp the nettle” and reform the system. But he said he had concerns over plans to extend the wait for asylum seekers to apply to settle permanently from five to 20 years under.
Those awarded refugee status will also have their status reviewed every two-and-a-half years – meaning they could be removed if their homeland is deemed to be safe.
Pressed on whether he agreed refugees should not have permanent status for up to 20 years, Mr Burnham told the BBC : “I agree that Shabana Mahmood is right to grasp this nettle and have root and branch reform of the system.
“But I do have a concern about leaving people without the ability to settle. One of the concerns being that if there’s a need to constantly check up on the countries of where people have come from that might limit the ability of the Home Office to deal with the [asylum] backlog.
“It also may also leave people in a sense of limbo unable to integrate.” He added: “I’m not going to say the Home Secretary is wrong to call for this level of change but what I would say is it is really important on the back of the measures she has announced there is a considered debate.”
His comments came as Home Secretary Ms Mahmood defended the plans announced in Parliament this week – despite deep concerns among some Labour MPs. Earlier this week the Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs also criticised proposals to deport families, including children, who have been rejected for asylum.
Lord Dubs, 92, who fled the Nazis as a child, claimed the Home Secretary was using children as a “weapon”, adding he believed it to be a “shabby thing”.
She responded today: “I adore Lord Alf Dubs, I think he is a really tremendous human being, and I always listen carefully to what he’s said. But on this occasion I do disagree. Firstly I would never use children as a weapon – that is not what is happening here.
“I set out a clear policy for those people who arrive with their children, who are failed asylum seekers, we’re not talking about people who have refugee status, we’re talking about people who do not have refugee status.
“They’ve been through their multiple claims, they’ve been through the courts, they have found not to be asylum seekers, not to be refugees. We have not been removing those people to safe countries.”
She also said she is willing to consider a “big increase” in payments to those who have had their asylum claim rejected in an effort to persuade them to leave the UK voluntarily. The Cabinet minister said this is often “better value for money for the taxpayer”.