Regular readers will be well aware of Sarah Teather’s long record of campaigning for fairer, better treatment of asylum seekers. Earlier this year, she talked about a “deeply upsetting” report which told how pregnant asylum seekers did not receive the support that they need. In fact, one particularly distressing account told of a mother having to walk home in the snow carrying her newborn because she could not afford transport or a pram.
Yesterday, she described the Home Office’s announcement that asylum support rates will be frozen for the upcoming year as cowardly and politically motivated. The freeze comes despite a recent cross-party Parliamentary inquiry finding that current rates of support are forcing some families to live on less than £5 per person each day. I find it quite incredible that Mark Harper could actually say:
I have carefully considered whether those rates of financial support are adequate for the purpose set by Parliament, which is to meet the essential living needs of those asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute. I have concluded that they are, and so I am announcing today that the rates will be frozen for the current year.
The announcement means that by April next year support rates will have been unchanged for three years – despite some asylum applicants already only receiving barely half of the equivalent level of support from mainstream benefits – and they are not allowed to work. You can see the current rates of support here – a couple only receives £72.52 per week between them. Could you survive on that? Think how much prices of basic food have gone up in the last 3 years. On what basis does Harper think these payments are anything like adequate?
The evidence submitted to the Parliamentary inquiry, which was chaired by Sarah and supported by The Children’s Society, made it clear that the failure to provide adequate support was leaving many without the means to meet their basic living needs. Those on the lowest rate of support only receive their allowance on a card. This means they get no cash, effectively leaving them stranded – unable even to take the bus to the doctor’s or their children to school.
On yesterday’s announcement, Sarah said:
This is extremely disappointing news and will leave many vulnerable individuals and families who are fleeing persecution and war without the support they need. It is a cowardly, politically motivated decision that has completely ignored the growing evidence that clearly shows current support rates are forcing people into poverty.
During the course of the parliamentary inquiry, the panel heard from people who had direct experience living on these meagre levels of support and it was clear how hard their lives were being made by the government. As a country we have a long and proud history of providing sanctuary to those who seek it – we do ourselves a great disservice not living up to this reputation.
Many of us will have seen these deeply offensive postings on social media which imply that asylum seekers come over here and live a luxurious life at our expense. As liberals, we should make sure that we are fully aware of the information contained in these reports so that we can give examples of how the truth is far removed from that perception.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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15 Comments
It is shaming to live in a society that, despite its great wealth, apparently resents giving the tiniest help to refugees.
If only she had the same courage of conviction when it came to gays and lesbians! Her words here, however correct they may be, ring hollow considering her homophobic anti-equal marriage stance, which is both cowardly and motivated by the antiquated politics of the Catholic Church. She chose to put faith before reason so her credibility is shattered in my opinion.
Well that’s what happens when Liberals sell their souls to the Tory devil and Cleggie talks about social mobility.
Why can’t these ayslum seekers not have a rich dad to get you a nice job in a bank.
“As liberals”… Are we liberals or Liberals?
I am the latter and I applaud Sarah for speaking out. I am deeply, deeply, ashamed that as a party we are allowing the Tories to get away with this despicable behaviour.
Tony Greaves
More power to Sarah Teather. Tony sums up my feelings exactly and I cannot understand why our MPs do not stop this most shameful of practices now.
“As liberals, we should …. give examples of how the truth is far removed from that perception.”
We do need to see more examples publicised. The Daily Mail are brilliant at publicising a steady stream of unusually bad stories about asylum seekers and benefit claimants, and thereby persuading their readers that the abnormal is normal. Meanwhile, many asylum seekers do suffer in the way Sarah has described, but, few of the specific cases get well publicised. Therefore, for Jo and Joe Public, they don’t exist.
It is rather a shame that the sainted (and I fear sanctimonious) Ms Teather does not have a long record of campaigning for fairer, better treatment Party Leaders in difficulty. I am afraid that I can never forget the way she sharpened the knife to completely destroy Charles Kennedy, and neither should fellow members. There were better ways of dealing with the issue which would have been fairer and more positive but they would not have supported her agenda.
You think asylum seekers don’t get enough, not so, here’s what asylum seekers get …
Free furnished, repair free accommodation, free heating and lighting, free NHS treatment, free dentistry, free specs., free maternity, free school and college education, free translation service, free legal aid to keep them here when their cases comes up again and again for review, free money (benefits). And, don’t forget the free offer of £3,000/£3,500 on offer to asylum seekers prepared to go home. Everything they get is FREE, FREE, FREE – and they haven’t paid a penny into the system. Asylum seekers cannot fail to see the poverty and deprivation within our own people in the UK, yet they continue to take from us and they and their supporters have the audacity to complain that it is not enough. It’s not free to our own people – we have to pay for ourselves – and the asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are not happy here. No problem. On application, the Home Office will return them to their own country – and it’s FREE, FREE, FREE.
Ed! It w as a FREE vote because it allowed members to follow their conscience and not the diktats of the whips or even the majority of Lib Dem members. I applaud her decision and wish more would follow her example. Faith is justified by reason.
Well, Angus! I hope you didn’t have an apoplectic fit. Some of that is plain untrue and some is available to UK citizens on benefits. Remember that a higher proportion of UK citizens than foreigners are on benefits. Remember too that we forbid asylum seekers to gain paid work even though some have skills we’re crying out for. And let’s see…free removal to the country they escaped from, where they may be tortured and killed? What generosity! Let’s charge them for it. Oh, no, but of course, it never, never happens that people who have good reason to fear for their lives fail in their applications for refugee status and are returned – does it?
Well said, Sarah Teather. As for the attack on her for her stance on equal marriage rights – I think she’s profoundly wrong on that, but to call her stance cowardly is, well, a triumph of anger over reason, since most people support these rights and the cause of asylum-seekers is far more unpopular. What’s more, her wrong position does indeed flow from Catholicism, but it isn’t a victory of faith over reason, because there’s nothing in reason that tells us to be fair or tolerant. Fairness and tolerance are based on belief too, whether religious or non-religious.
@Simon Banks
You tell me which part of my posting is untrue – I await your reply. Of course some of the asylum freebies are available to UK citizens, and why shouldn’t they be – they are entitled to UK assistance when in need. And of course there is a higher proportion of UK citizens on benefits – there are millions of UK citizens unemployed either through lack of work or illness or some other. Our unemployed are entitled to benefits – many will have paid previously for those benefits.
And yes, by law asylum seekers are not entitled to work. When asylum seekers come to Britain they know of the not allowed to work rule or if they didn‘t know then they are very quickly informed that they are not allowed to take up employment. Also, why would any responsible employer employ a person whose background cannot be checked out – most of these asylum seekers arrive without any passports or documents as to who they are. And for those seekers who take jobs on the side, they do so illegally – they are benefit cheats. How many of them have undeclared savings – money made from the sale of their belongings prior to leaving for Britain? Why should asylum seekers be allowed to work? There’s a tried and tested legal system for those who wish to come to Britain and work and it’s certainly not through claiming asylum. Work? Haven’t you heard? Britain is in a recession. The indigenous are looking for work. And what are those asylum skills we are crying out for? Do tell.
And let’s see…free removal to the country they claimed to have escaped from. Those failed asylum seekers have had their pleas to stay in the UK listened to, on more than one occasion, and legal decisions made that they have made no moral or legal right to stay in the UK. Free removal with a going away financial handout seems more than generous. Or do you believe that the system we put in place to deal with asylum applications is deliberately targeting asylum seekers unjustly for deportation.
I see McKay has been swallowing the Daily Mail’s Little Blue Pills wholesale.
The fairest, cheapest and most rational system would be to allow asylum seekers to work, those who have failed pending removal should have that right removed.
@nuclear cockroach
“swallowing the Daily Mail’s Little Blue Pills wholesale” – not so, my comments come from a good understanding of the asylum and immigration system. If you don’t agree, why not post a credible counter debate without resorting to insult – are you capable – I think not.
In your “fairest, cheapest and most rational system” what type of work would your asylum seekers do? Many of those asylum seekers arrive in the UK unable to speak English (“some of them just manage to use a pen to make a line to sign forms. Some people want to sign with their fingerprints”) and are totally unschooled in the UK employment culture and workplace. They are unemployable by responsible employers.
The BBC ‘Our World’ programme is currently running a documentary Fleeing Syria that will be rebroadcast tonight, Sun 9 Jun 2013 @ 21:30 or can be viewed online.
Worth a look for an appreciation of the dangers and trauma that many asylum seekers experience in escaping conflict zones. Those relatively small numbers that manage to make it to the comparative safety of the West, need to be treated with the compassion and care that we would extend to any resident of this country, who’s life has been utterly ruined by circumstances completely beyond their control. That includes being given a chance to learn English and the opportunity to work and rebuild their lives. Some will return to their home countries in due course other’s will make Europe their home – there is no one size fits all answer. We need to start with a functioning and efficient UK Border Agency that is fit for purpose to begin addressing these issues.
@Joe Bourke
“Some will return to their home countries in due course other’s will make Europe their home” … and some will abscond … quote from a communication from the then Immigration Department:- “in a recent experiment approximately 40 families we invited to present themselves for deportation but of these, approximately 39 then disappeared and have not been seen since.”
All asylum seekers and their families are given the chance to learn English. Whilst in the asylum system they must be forbidden to work. There is a vast shortage of jobs in the UK and an abundance of economic migrants are in the UK via Freedom of Movement and many more are on the way to add to UK unemployment.
A malfunctioning and inefficient UK Border Agency suits asylum seekers … asylum seekers come here seeking safety from whatever. They sit about all free for years and they and their supporters complain the seekers’ cases are not being considered. Time comes when their pleas to stay are heard and judged to have no merit. UKBA informs them to prepare themselves for deportation – the failed asylum seekers refuse to leave. UKBA makes no effort to deport the illegals. UKBA’s way of saying to the illegals, “OK, you’ve picked up a wee bit of our language, y’know our system, y’know how to find your way around, off you go and find yourself some kind of work, good luck and hope we don’t see you again – bye.”
G’nite – work today.