Labour is about to get even tougher on asylum seekers. It still won’t work | Enver Solomon

Kneejerk policy changes won’t win over Reform voters, or stop boats crossing the Channel. Here’s what the government should do insteadDeep disillusionment is now driving the public mood in Britain. People are desperate for competent government to handle issues like the cost of living, welfare and immigration. And they want people to be treated fairly and with dignity, whether they are asylum seekers, disabled people or pensioners. Yet on immigration, it is clear that No 10 has missed the memo.It remains convinced that the only way to get a hearing with Reform voters on asylum is to sound as tough as possible. Indeed, Labour has recently resorted to sharing footage of people being deported in handcuffs, and headline grabbing initiatives to ship asylum seekers whose claims fail to so-called return hubs in countries such as Albania.Enver Solomon is chief executive of the Refugee Council Continue reading...

May 9, 2025 - 14:30

Labour is about to get even tougher on asylum seekers. It still won’t work | Enver Solomon

Kneejerk policy changes won’t win over Reform voters, or stop boats crossing the Channel. Here’s what the government should do instead

Deep disillusionment is now driving the public mood in Britain. People are desperate for competent government to handle issues like the cost of living, welfare and immigration. And they want people to be treated fairly and with dignity, whether they are asylum seekers, disabled people or pensioners. Yet on immigration, it is clear that No 10 has missed the memo.

It remains convinced that the only way to get a hearing with Reform voters on asylum is to sound as tough as possible. Indeed, Labour has recently resorted to sharing footage of people being deported in handcuffs, and headline grabbing initiatives to ship asylum seekers whose claims fail to so-called return hubs in countries such as Albania.

Enver Solomon is chief executive of the Refugee Council Continue reading...