Letter from John Wake, Harlow
Dear Editor, Harlow MP, Robert Halfon, ought to be ashamed of his endorsement of the aptly-named, Illegal Migration Bill. Aptly named, because on the first page of the Bill the Home Secretary admits that she cannot state that its provisions are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. In other words, it could be contrary to international law.
Suella Braverman has used the terms “invasion” and “members of criminal gangs” when referring to asylum seekers crossing the English Channel. I am old enough to remember when people such as Ms Braverman’s father, a refugee from Kenya, were referred to by fascists using the same kind of language that she now employs. Her words encourage abuse and violence aimed at asylum seekers and people who are Black and/or members of ethnic minorities.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 1.1mn people came to live in Britain in the year ending June 2022. In the same period, 35,000 asylum seekers crossed the English Channel in small boats. Given these figures, it is hard not to conclude that the brouhaha about “small boats” whipped up by Braverman, Sunak, and other members of the Conservative government is simply a distraction from the cost-of-living crisis for which their government is in large part responsible.
The simplest way to prevent asylum seekers risking their lives crossing the Channel would be to allow them to take the ferry. Their claims for asylum could then be assessed in Britain. The considerable backlog in assessing claims would be shortened if the government created more jobs in the relevant department, which would also have the benefit of giving a small boost to the economy.
If Mr Halfon does not appreciate the dangers of the sort of inflammatory language employed by his Conservative colleague, then he is not fit to be a Member of Parliament. If he does appreciate those dangers, but continues to support Braverman, then he is not fit to be a Member of Parliament. He certainly cannot claim to an opponent of racism and xenophobia if he continues to support a Bill that will violate international law and remove the human rights of asylum seekers.
