Rishi Sunak’s strategy to house migrants and asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge has certainly made headlines -- for all the wrong reasons. Fallout from this botched plan has sparked debate on how best to house asylum seekers, but that’s a secondary concern. More importantly, we should focus on what they do when they’re here.
I do not wish to rehash the arguments around the pros and cons of immigration. However I would point out that immigration is economically beneficial to the UK, the objections and concerns raised against it are misplaced, and attempting to reduce it will cause further damage to the UK economy.
Instead I want to discuss asylum seekers. While it is right that the government wants to deter people from making the perilous journey across the Channel in small boats and also take power away from people smugglers, its proposals simply will not work. Schemes such as deporting people to Rwanda will not only be incredibly costly (if it’s even allowed to go ahead) but will also not act as a deterrent. The reason why people are so determined to reach our shores is because they often have family links or speak English. As such, the pull to the UK will continue to remain too strong and we won’t see a fall in numbers.
If the government is serious about stopping the boats then it should increase the number of safe and legal routes to the UK. The UK should establish processing centres in the EU, the Middle East, and Africa in order to allow those seeking asylum to have their claims processed in an efficient and safe way.
We are currently in a tight labour market with lots of vacancies which businesses are unable to fill. Lifting the ban would allow employers to find the workers they need, improve productivity, and increase GDP
Just as importantly we need to change the way that asylum seekers are treated when they arrive in the UK. The most effective policy to improve things for asylum seekers, taxpayers, and local communities that the government could introduce would be to abolish the ban on asylum seekers being allowed to work.
First of all, such a move would be hugely beneficial to the asylum seekers themselves. Many of them have experienced horrors too terrible to imagine as they have fled war, oppression, and torture. The current system condemns them to be alone with their own thoughts where they have very little to do in order to pass the time. Allowing them to work will give them a sense of purpose. It would also provide them with a stable wage and allow them to integrate with their local community.
On a related note it would also be a positive development for the host communities. These are areas which are often already struggling and experienced decades of decline. An influx of asylum seekers has increased pressure on public services and in some cases as led to resentment and unrest. Allowing asylum seekers will allow them to make a positive contribution economically and socially to their new area.
We would expect to see wider benefits from lifting the ban. For example, allowing asylum seekers to work would reduce the burden on taxpayers as fewer of them would be in need of direct cash payments or housing support. It is estimated that the annual saving for taxpayers would be around £6.7 billion.
There would also be benefits for other areas of the economy. We are currently in a tight labour market with lots of vacancies which businesses are unable to fill. Lifting the ban would allow employers to find the workers they need, improve productivity, and increase GDP by approximately £1.6 billion each year.
Finally, more people in work means more people paying taxes. It is estimated that scrapping the ban and allowing asylum seekers to work would increase tax revenue by £1.3 billion every year. This boost to the Treasury’s coffers would give the government more money to spend on essential public services such as schools and the NHS.
The government should lift the restrictions on the right-to-work for asylum seekers. Not only would it be the right thing to do for some of the most vulnerable people it would also bring significant social and economic benefits to the UK.
