Any attempt to reform our asylum system brings also an opportunity to enhance integration and social cohesion. Instead, these proposals risk causing lasting harm. At a time when the far-right is emboldened, the Government’s plans threaten to deepen the sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ that such movements thrive on.
Ending the permanence of refuge. Threatening to remove support from destitute people. Introducing startlingly long routes to citizenship. Each of these measures will only make life harder for those who need sanctuary and fray our social fabric. We know firsthand that the young people we are proud to support have often already faced unimaginable cruelty and instability. These proposals could mean that they never truly feel secure and settled in the UK.
We have to wonder too what such policies would have meant for Jewish refugees who arrived here in the 19th and 20th centuries. The context is of course very different. Yet it is largely because of the enduring safe haven that this country provides that the British Jewish community thrives today.
Our treatment of people seeking asylum and refugees is a litmus test for our society. But while our government may be failing, we will continue to stand with people who need sanctuary – just as Jewish communities have for many decades.