The SNP has slammed the Tories' plans to restrict small boats crossing the English Channel. Stuart McDonald, the party's immigration spokesman, said the UK Government plan would "cause serious and devastating harm" to those seeking refuge - but would not "lay a solitary finger on people smugglers".
The bill will stop people claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive here illegally. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that migrants arriving in the UK illegally would be removed “within weeks”.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled the legislation in the House of Commons on Tuesday. She told MPs that asylum seekers arriving illegally would be detained and face a lifetime ban on returning after they were removed.
They would never be allowed to settle in the country or gain citizenship. Braverman said it would “betray” British voters not to tackle the “waves of illegal migrants breaching our border”.
But McDonald hit out at the Home Secretary, saying that aslyum seekers "deserve a fair hearing". He added that the system would not limit the human traffickers who exploit people trying to reach the UK.
McDonald said: "The SNP stands proudly behind the refugee convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. We believe that all who seek asylum and seek refugee status deserve a fair hearing. And we are 100 per cent behind the clear statement from the United Nations high Commissioner for refugees that there is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker.
“Despite the dreary, dog-whistle rhetoric, her bill will not so much as lay a solitary finger on people smugglers or people traffickers. But it will cause serious and devastating harm for people who have already endured incredible suffering."
He added: "If every country followed her example the whole system of refugee protection around the world would fall to pieces. But it’s not just the system of refugee protection around the world that is going to be trashed by this bill, but the UK’s reputation as a place of sanctuary.
“She spoke about an overwhelmed asylum system - the only thing that has overwhelmed the asylum system is the Conservative Party’s incompetence and mismanagement."
McDonald finished by asking: "What happens if an Afghan arrival cannot be removed to Afghanistan, France, Rwanda or anywhere else? Will he or she eventually be admitted to the asylum system? And if so, after how long?
“When the Prime Minister meets with [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron, will he be telling the president that the UK is prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights?”
Braverman avoided the questions and replied that McDonald expressed a lot of “passion” in his questions. She added: “I would only wish that the Scottish Government would bring so much passion to their approach to accommodating asylum seekers when Scotland currently takes one of the lowest numbers of asylum seekers out of our United Kingdom.”
She stressed the Bill provided a “comprehensive and coherent plan, combining fairness and compassion.”
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