Suella Braverman was warned on Monday that her call for an overhaul of a landmark international treaty on refugees to curb asylum claims by gay migrants and others risks making the world a more dangerous place.
In pre-released comments ahead of a speech on Tuesday in the US, the Home Secretary said that the 1951 UN Refugee Convention had become outdated and was being used as the basis for claims based on “something more akin to discrimination” than genuine persecution.
She said the result was that the system had become unsustainable and it should no longer be possible to claim refugee status for “simply being a gay or a woman and fearful of discrimination” in one of the many countries where it was “difficult” to be either.
Ms Braverman said it was also “absurd” that migrants could travel through “multiple safe countries, and even reside in safe countries for years” before coming to Britain or another “chosen destination” to claim asylum.
But her call for reform, which was being set out in further detail in an address at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, produced an immediate backlash as charities and political opponents denounced her for turning her back on the vulnerable.
Sonya Sceats, the chief executive of the charity Freedom from Torture, said it was “shocking to see the Home Secretary imploring the US and other democracies to tear up treaties designed to protect human rights.
“This will make the world an even more dangerous place, and not just for torture survivors seeking safety, but for all of us. Instead of embracing authoritarianism, we should confront it and ensure compassion for those tortured and persecuted by countries that have long ago decided that laws to protect basic human dignity are dispensable.”
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of rhe Refugee Council, added: “A world where the UK and other Western nations pull up the drawbridge and turn their backs on those who have been tortured, persecuted and faced terror because of their gender, sexuality or any other reason, is a world which turns its back on a belief in shared humanity and shared rights.”
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused Ms Braverman of trying to rewrite the rules after failing in the government’s promise to stop small boat crossings and presiding over a record backlog of asylum claims.
“The Home Secretary has given up on fixing the Tories’ asylum chaos at home so now she’s resorting to grandstanding abroad,” she said. “Instead of enhancing international cooperation to go after the criminal gangs and build long-term solutions, this government has made it harder to get other countries to work with us by undermining international agreements that they still want other countries to abide by and offering no solutions.”
Home Office minister Chris Philp insisted, however, that reform was needed, telling Sky News that “large scale illegal immigration” was affecting the US and other parts of Europe, as well as this country.
“Over the years the definition has expanded and we’ve seen people who are essentially economic migrants seeking to use asylum claims,” he said.
“We’ve seen also very large scale illegal immigration. So there is an issue that needs to be addressed. We need to get the balance right. Of course protect people who fear for their lives but without facilitating or encouraging large scale illegal immigration for essentially economic reasons.”
