The UK’s “overtly racist” new law will put lives at risk
06/01/2022
© Sarah Booker
On Wednesday, the dangerous Nationality and Borders Bill reached the House of Lords and moved a step closer to becoming law.
The bill is an attack on human rights and the Refugee Convention and will endanger the lives of people trying to reach the UK.
The bill is flawed in a number of ways, but there are three key issues that stand out:
Claiming asylum in the UK will become almost impossible: despite claims from the government that they’re increasing protection for refugees, the bill pushes the bar so high that the UK would effectively exempt itself from accepting asylum claims
It endangers lives by blocking safe, legal routes to the UK: the only workable routes left to the UK for refugees will be unsafe, illegal ones. This will put more lives in danger and risk further tragedies in the seas around Britain
It enables the government to strip people of their citizenship without warning: the Home Office says that “British citizenship is a privilege, not a right”. The bill will give the government the power to strip people of their citizenship without warning if they’re also citizens of another country. The move has been described as “overtly racist” and we agree. It effectively creates a second-class of citizenship for migrant communities
We will continue to fight this bill through our legal work. When people cross the Channel, they know that their lives are at risk. They wouldn’t do it without good reason. They deserve protection, not further barriers.
Thanks to your support, we help refugees to claim asylum and to be reunited with family across Europe. We’ve been able to continue to offer legal routes to the UK through our legal advice and outreach projects, helping people to be reunited with loved ones.
Help us to continue to protect people who have been forced to migrate by continuing to share and donate to our campaign.
