This Anti-Refugee Bill 2 is simply more cruel and unworkable hot air from the Government. It won’t work any better than the previous Anti-Refugee Bill.

Its impact will be to cause misery to people who come to the UK in search of protection, cost millions to the UK taxpayer and drive desperate people to take ever more dangerous journeys as there is no other way for them to claim asylum.

Deterrence will never work because a tiny minority of people fleeing war and persecution around the world will always need the UK to be a place to seek safety.

Many have powerful reasons to want to come here that we can all understand – they have family here, or friends here, or community here. The Home Office’s own research has backed this up.

Ministers refuse to accept this reality and it’s putting more lives at risk. This hostile legislation will result in thousands of people being locked up in immigration detention and only serve to increase pressure on the UK asylum system, lengthening the already huge backlog.

The Government must ditch the hostility and urgently create a compassionate and workable refugee policy that’s designed to keep people safe rather than keep people out.