According to the party, immigrants who have arrived in the UK illegally since last March will be entitled to claim for asylum under Labour rule.
Under the Illegal Migration Bill, passed by the Conservative government last year, immigrants arriving to the UK illegally are blocked from making asylum claims.
As the result of the ban, 52,000 people have been stuck in what is described as an asylum “limbo.” Unable to submit asylum claims, the foreign arrivals are also not getting deported because the Rwanda immigration scheme is not fully operational.
These people should be allowed to submit claims and stay permanently in the UK, a Labour spokesman told reports after Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
“The most important thing is that we speed up the way in which claims are being processed, the way in which we then have returns agreements in place and deal with the backlog that there is.
“The thing that is unsustainable at the moment is the amount of the backlog that there is within the system,” the spokesperson added.
Way Forward
Illegal immigration and stopping small boat crossings are important policy matters for both the Conservatives and Labour, with the potential to swing critical votes in the general election.Led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Tories have passed the Rwanda bill, under which immigrants who enter Britain illegally, including those who cross the English Channel in small boats, will be put on flights to Kigali.
Critical of the Rwanda scheme, Labour has vowed to drop it, if it comes to power.
He stressed that in order to tackle illegal immigration, UK has to improve cooperation with law enforcement across the borders and the sharing of data and intelligence.
“I want to get going with our plan to stop the boats on day one, which requires us to stop the gangs that are running this vile trade,” Sir Keir said.
In its ambition to reform the asylum system, Labour wants to recruit over 1,000 Home Office caseworkers to clear the asylum backlog, and a further 1,000 staff for a new returns unit. This would ensure that people who don’t have a right to stay in the UK can be quickly removed.
Labour has also vowed to save taxpayers’ money, by ending the use of hotels for illegal immigrants within 12 months, and setting up a new returns unit for safe countries.
Earlier this week, it emerged that more than 3,000 illegal immigrants have dropped off the Home Office’s radar after being earmarked for deportation to Rwanda. Responding to the news, shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said it “exposes the total lack of grip the Conservatives have over the asylum system.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly has stressed that the Rwanda scheme was the way forward.
“Labour don’t have a plan to stop the boats, so their only option is an amnesty, at the expense of the British taxpayer. It would put more power into the hands of people smugglers, and cause more death and misery in the Channel,” Mr. Cleverly said.
Conservative Party Chairman Richard Holden said Labour’s asylum policies are “effectively an advertisement for migrants to come to the UK.”
“While the Conservatives are working hard to stop the boats, Labour are plotting to throw the doors to our country wide open,” he added.
