THE Scottish Tories are in “hiding” amid challenges from all other parties to stand up to the UK Government’s asylum crackdown.
Only two of the party’s 31 MSPs spoke in defence of the Illegal Migration Bill – which critics say will effectively abolish the UK’s asylum system – during a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the issue on Tuesday.
Now, the party is facing accusations they are too “cowardly” to oppose the bill.
The Illegal Migration Bill has been “railroaded” though parliament, according to the SNP’s Stephen Flynn, and MPs have raised serious concerns the Government has given them insufficient time to scrutinise the law.
The UN’s high commissioner for refugees said the bill would amount to an “asylum ban”.
Bob Doris, the SNP MSP for Maryhill and Springburn, asked the Scottish Tories following Tuesday’s debate whether they were “uninterested” or whether they were “unable to defend the indefensible” after the vast majority of their members blanked the discussion.
It has led to accusations the party is dodging scrutiny over their support for the bill ahead of a vote on Wednesday evening.
Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said: “I am not surprised that so few Tories are willing to speak to this brutal, racist and reactionary excuse for legislation from the Home Office.
"They clearly did not want to have to defend the indefensible. Because this Illegal Migration Bill is a full-scale attack on the rights of refugees and makes the UK a rogue state as far as human rights and international treaties are concerned.
"The bill, called the ‘Refugee Ban Bill’ by some of its critics, effectively abolishes asylum. It undermines our commitments under the Refugee Convention.
"And it will prevent us taking the action we need to take in Scotland to support victims of trafficking. It is no way to treat fellow human beings.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish LibDems, said: “This bill is yet another example of the Scottish Tories cowardly hiding away so as not to rock the boat down south.
"They failed to stand up for Scotland's whisky industry and they failed to speak out against the mess being caused by [Boris] Johnson and [Liz] Truss.
“The blame for our broken asylum system lies squarely with the Conservatives and the Illegal Migration Bill does absolutely nothing to address this. Instead, it punishes the victims of human trafficking.
“The Scottish Tories should grow a backbone and call for the bill to be scrapped.”
Scottish Labour’s Paul O’Kane added: “This dehumanising and immoral bill does little more than demonise one of society's most vulnerable groups.
"The Tories' approach to immigration is not a model worth replicating anywhere. By introducing this bill, they are attempting to mask their own failures by using asylum seekers and refugees as a scapegoat.
"The UK Labour Party opposed this bill in Westminster, and we will continue to oppose it here in Holyrood."
The Scottish Conservatives did not respond to a request for comment.
