Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has sharply criticized Labour leader Keir Starmer after a Palestinian family was granted the right to stay in the UK under the Ukrainian refugee scheme. This controversial decision has sparked significant political debate, with Badenoch calling it “completely wrong” and demanding that the Government appeal the ruling.
Badenoch, speaking in her first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), expressed strong disapproval of the court’s decision. She asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak whether the Government would take action to reverse the ruling. “It cannot be allowed to stand,” Badenoch declared, reported by GB News.
In response, Starmer disagreed with the decision but attempted to clarify the situation. “I do not agree with the decision. She is right, it is the wrong decision. She hasn’t quite done her homework because the decision in question was taken under the last government,” Starmer said. He emphasized that immigration policy should be determined by Parliament and the Government, not the courts.
“It should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration,” he added, pointing out that the Home Secretary was already reviewing legal loopholes in the case. Despite Starmer’s remarks, Badenoch maintained her position and reiterated the need for new legislation to address such decisions. “Given this crazy decision and so many others, new legislation is needed to clarify the right to a family life in Article 8,” she said.
“I’m not talking about what he just said, I know Labour MPs don’t understand much of what they’re saying but the Prime Minister literally wrote a book on the European Convention on Human Rights. This is a situation where we need to put our national interest before the ECHR.”
The case revolves around a Palestinian family of six who fled the Gaza Strip and applied for the Ukraine Family Scheme to join the father’s brother in the UK. Their application was initially rejected in May last year, as the Home Office determined that the requirements of the scheme were not met. The family, which includes a mother, father, and four children aged between seven and 18, had been living in a refugee camp in Gaza after their home was destroyed by an airstrike.
In September, a first-tier immigration tribunal dismissed their appeal, but upper tribunal judges allowed a further appeal based on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to family life. The case has raised questions about the interpretation of immigration policies and human rights laws in the UK.
The decision has ignited ongoing debates about the balance between national interests, human rights protections, and immigration policy.
