26 September 2023 , 21:41
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Suella Braverman was last night accused of trying to shift blame for the Tory immigration fiasco on to desperate asylum seekers fleeing persecution.
And the cruel Home Secretary demanded UN protections for refugees are torn up in a cynical bid to mask her own dismal failures, with the backlog of cases at record levels and migrants numbers soaring. During a speech in Washington, DC, Ms Braverman also claimed only “some” of the thousands who die crossing seas are real asylum seekers.
But figures from her own department show the majority (71%) of decisions here in the year to June were to grant refugee status, as most are genuine. She also argued that fear of discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be enough to qualify for international protection.
Ms Braverman branded multiculturalism a “failure” despite the government she is part of being one of the most diverse, and huge swathes of public services relying on immigrants to function properly. She said of the 50,000 people estimated to have died since 2014: “All were no doubt seeking a better life. Some perhaps were genuine refugees. But not all.”
Ms Braverman has been accused of blaming desperate asylum seekers for her failures (PA)SNP justice and immigration spokesman Chris Stephens said: “The Home Secretary’s comments today are deeply ignorant and offensive, proving once again that she is unfit for office.” Alistair Carmichael, Lib Dem spokesman for home affairs, accused the Home Secretary of playing a "dangerous game".
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He told The Mirror: " Suella Braverman ’s speech has more to do with the election to be leader of the Conservative Party than it has to with multiculturalism or anything else in modern Britain. It is a shame that she is spending her time playing politics like this instead of keeping our streets safe and fixing our broken immigration system where thousands are stuck in hotels while their applications are stuck on Whitehall desks.
"She is playing a dangerous game here. If she really believes that multiculturalism has failed then what does she offer to the millions of families who make up our country and whose cultures have enriched our country for decades?"
Ms Braverman made her demands to rewrite the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention at think-tank the American Enterprise Institute. Amnesty UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: “The Refugee Convention is a cornerstone of the international legal system and we need to call out this assault on the convention for what it is… a display of cynicism and xenophobia.
“Verbal assaults don’t alter the harsh realities that cause people to flee conflict and persecution.” Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “The Home Secretary has given up on fixing the Tories’ asylum chaos at home so now she’s resorting to grandstanding abroad and looking for anyone else to blame. On her watch, dangerous boat crossings are up and the backlog of undecided cases is at a record high.”
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “This is a horrifying speech that would not be out of place on a far-right conspiracy website. It is language straight out of the gutter.” A gay asylum seeker called Hein branded Ms Braverman’s attack on homosexual migrants “cruelty”.
She said in her speech: “There are vast swathes of the world where it is extremely difficult to be gay, or to be a woman. Where individuals are being persecuted, it is right that we offer sanctuary.
“But we will not be able to sustain an asylum system if simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country, is sufficient to qualify for protection.”
Hein, 25, who fled Myanmar, where being gay is punishable by up to 10 years in jail, said: “It makes me feel dehumanised and not valid.”
Ms Braverman also came under fire for her remarks on multiculturalism. She branded it a “misguided dogma” and added: “It has failed because it allowed people to come to our society and live parallel lives in it.”
But Georgie Laming of campaign group HOPE not hate said: “You only have to look at Britain to see this isn’t the case. Britain has become a more open, tolerant and diverse society.” Ms Braverman was quizzed about her background, with parents who moved here from Kenya and Mauritius.
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She has spoken about how her father “sought a better life” and was told “every single” migrant today has the same story he had. But she insisted she should not have to “adopt a pro-migration position because I was the child of immigrants”.
Asli Tatliadim, Head of Campaigns at Refugee Action, said: “People fleeing persecution, climate collapse, poverty, and violence are doing what any one of us would do and find safety in a country where we have connections or can speak the language.
“It’s time leaders in rich countries own up to how their policies contribute to human displacement, change their ways, and work together to broaden protections and reinforce rights.”
Ms Braverman was also accused of using the speech as a springboard for a Tory leadership bid. She denied that and said it was “part of her day job”.
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