Burnham urged to sack Mahmood
Andy Burnham has been urged to remove Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood before she implements even more anti-migrant crackdowns.
The call from the Scottish Greens comes as the Home Secretary is set to announce new plans that would further undermine the rights of people seeking asylum by having trained members of the public deciding asylum appeals instead of immigration judges. An Immigration and Asylum Bill is expected to be published this week.
The party’s justice spokesperson Maggie Chapman said:
“The way that Keir Starmer’s government has treated immigrants and asylum seekers has been dehumanising and cruel. It is one of the most disgraceful legacies for any government, but especially for a so-called Labour government.
“The approach has been designed to inflict even more pain and stigma on people who have often fled devastating war and conflict. It is a transparent bid to look ‘tougher’ than Nigel Farage and pander to the far right.
“Shabana Mahmood’s shameful tenure has seen cynical new gimmicks and callous punishments announced every time the government has needed a new headline to get itself out of trouble.
“If Andy Burnham is to chart a new course then it can’t be done with her still in office. She has already caused enough misery.
“This latest announcement is a clear attempt to make the system even harsher and more hostile.
"Yet we know that immigrants contribute so much to our society and our communities. Instead of locking people up in prison-like conditions and disempowering judges we should be giving people the right to work and build lives here.”