Tory Immigration Bill Could Sentence LGBTQ+ Refugees To Death: “Immoral, Shameful And Unjustifiable”
March 14, 2023The UK government has been heavily condemned by opposition MPs and senior Tories for its “immoral, ineffective and incredibly expensive” illegal migration bill.
The bill was drafted by the Tory government to reduce or halt “small boat crossings” across the English Channel.
If it becomes law, all adults arriving in the UK via the English Channel or in the back of a lorry will be detained for 28 days. They would then be sent back to their country of origin or to a third country such as Rwanda. Families with children could also be arrested and deported.
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According to ‘UK Daily News’, opposition MPs, human rights defenders, religious leaders and even Tory MPs have condemned the measure, which could put the lives of vulnerable people at risk.
Labor MP Diane Abbott told PinkNews that the Illegal Migration Bill was “disgraceful”.
“It probably violates international law, which is even acknowledged by ministers on the front of the bill,” the veteran MP said.
“It would deprive vulnerable asylum seekers of their rights under international law, fail victims of modern slavery and leave unaccompanied children in detention centers.”
She added: “It is totally impracticable and immoral. The government probably knows that too. But it’s not about solving the problem of thousands of people endangering their lives by crossing the English Channel in small boats. It aims to bolster a core Tory electoral strategy for the next election.”
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran told PinkNews that Britain “has a proud history of providing sanctuary to people in need of international protection” – but the Government is now determined to “destroy that legacy”.
“People fleeing war or persecution should be treated with compassion, not as criminals,” she said.
Moran worries about LGBTQ+ refugees being sent to unsafe countries – the government has previously admitted there is evidence queer refugees could be persecuted in Rwanda.
“I am deeply concerned at what this means for the safety of LGBTQ+ people seeking refuge in the UK. What may be a so-called safe country for some, is often not for minorities. Being sent back can be a matter of life or death simply because you are who you are.”
Moran added: “Like their botched Rwanda plan, this new legislation is immoral, ineffective and incredibly expensive for the taxpayer.
“It does nothing to punish the evil gangs responsible for these dangerous crossings and instead criminalizes their victims. This is not a practical or sustainable solution, it is another vanity project for this conservative government.”
Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy said those who escaped “horrific situations” should not have to risk their lives to get to the UK.
“Rather than enact immoral and ineffective laws that will further criminalize and punish some of the most vulnerable for choosing the only option left to them, government should provide viable safe avenues and give people a real chance to regain their lives as part of it.” build up our communities.”
Scottish Greens MP Maggie Chapman called the bill “unsustainable” in a press release.
“It would punish some of the world’s most vulnerable people as part of a desperate and racist culture war being fueled by Downing Street,” she said.
“Locking up refugees and asylum-seekers in prison-like conditions and then deporting them to Rwanda is the kind of policy you would expect from the BNP, but it is now being promoted by some of Westminster’s most senior politicians.
“It’s absolutely shameful. The Tories defy any rule of thumb on how to deal with refugees and use the kind of vile rhetoric that would have been at home in the fascist regimes of the 1930s.”
The government is also encountering resistance from within its own ranks. Tory MP Caroline Nokes told Times Radio that she would be voting against the bill.
“I may be an outlier in my party, but I think we have an absolute duty to treat people humanely to keep people safe. I have an absolute horror of the prospect,” she said.
Nokes continued: “I am deeply disturbed by the prospect of policies aimed at criminalizing children, pregnant women and families and bringing them to Rwanda.
“I didn’t vote for the last Nationality and Borders Bill, it didn’t meet its goal of reducing border crossings. In fact, we’ve seen them increase and I don’t see what this legislation will do to act as a deterrent.”
Tory MP Chris Skidmore joined Nokes in saying he too would vote against the law.
“I am not willing to break international law or human rights conventions which the UK has a proud history of playing a leading role in establishing,” he tweeted.
“I will not vote for the bill tonight.”
Opposition to the bill has grown steadily since Sunak first announced his government’s plans while standing at a podium bearing the slogan “Stop the Boats.”
The government’s draft law has already been criticised by Amnesty International UK and Human Rights Watch, along with a number of other human rights groups.
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