Asylum plan would break international law – UN refugee agency 

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR)  has expressed strong concerns about the UK government’s proposed asylum law, stating that it would violate international law by blocking even those with compelling claims. 

Vicky Tennant, the UNHCR’s representative to the UK, said that the measure is unnecessary to stop Channel crossings and breaches the Refugee Convention.

The proposed law, announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, would effectively ban anyone who arrives via an illegal route from claiming asylum in the UK and prevent those who entered the country illegally from returning or claiming British citizenship in the future. 

The measure is part of the government’s efforts to address the rising number of people arriving in the UK via Channel crossings, which increased after Brexit –  from around 300 in 2018 to over 45,000 in 2022. 

Asked for her reaction to the plans on the BBC’s Newsnight, Vicky Tennant said: “We’re very concerned. This is effectively closing off access to asylum in the UK for people arriving irregularly.

“We believe it’s a clear breach of the Refugee Convention, and remember even people with very compelling claims will simply not have the opportunity to put these forward.”

The Refugee Convention first agreed in 1951, is a multilateral treaty that sets out who qualifies as a refugee and the obligations of signatory states to protect them.

Ms Tennant believes that the UK has a humanitarian tradition and that issues with migration could be addressed by proper controls and a better-administered system, including fair, efficient, and faster asylum processing. 

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has written to all Tory MPs saying there is “more than a 50% chance” that the legislation is not compatible with the ECHR, and the legislation is widely expected to face legal challenges.

PM Sunak, at a news conference, said he believed it would not be necessary for the UK to leave the ECHR in order to enact the policy and the government was “meeting our international obligations”.

“I understand there will be debate about the toughness of these measures,” he said. “All I can say is we have tried it every other way and it has not worked.

“My policy is very simple: it is this country and your government who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs.”

PM Rishi Sunak