Reform threatening rights of asylum seekers and refugees
Reform UK’s announced plan to halt the asylum system is cruel and morally bankrupt, say the Scottish Greens.
The party’s justice spokesperson Maggie Chapman MSP said:
“Everyone has the right to seek asylum. This latest proposal by Reform is as cruel and brutal as it is inhumane and morally bankrupt.
"If enacted, it would do serious damage to our communities and the lives of people and families who have fled terrible circumstances. It would also completely undermine our legal and moral obligations to international human rights and humanitarian law.
“The right to seek asylum is a human right, not a privilege that governments can simply withdraw. People should not be punished for seeking sanctuary, and no government should abandon its responsibility to protect people at risk.
“Our communities are stronger when we welcome people, tackle poverty and invest in the public services everyone relies on. That is what we should be doing today and always.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, and nobody should be denied safety because of where they were born.
“I hope that Andy Burnham will stand against the vile racism and authoritarianism of Reform rather than replicating it like so many of his predecessors.”