The Home Secretary’s speech yesterday marked a worrying step backwards in the UK’s approach to refugee protection. Yes, the proposals were wrapped in progressive language. But there is nothing fair or compassionate about forcing refugees to renew their status every 30 months.
While this country’s record of providing welcome is mixed – as our community well knows – people granted refugee status historically have been able to make Britain their permanent home.
Refugees arriving today will instead face prolonged uncertainty. We’re clear: that’s bad for integration, bad for society, and bad for people who need safety and stability. At a time when the far-right is emboldened, it also risks deepening the sense of ‘us and them’ that such movements thrive on.
As British Jews, we must consider too what this policy would have meant for our families who arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries. If implemented at the time, many would likely have faced the threat of return to Europe after the Second World War.
Of course, the context is different now. But our community has only thrived here because of the long-term stability the UK provided. People seeking sanctuary here today deserve that same fair chance to restart and rebuild.
