"When politicians use language that echoes the far-right, they don’t defeat extremism - they legitimise it”

Charities have reacted with fury at the Westminster government’s draconian crack down on people seeking refuge in the UK.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood this week released a 33-page document outlining policies she hopes will “curb bogus asylum claims” and reduce small boat crossings.

Entitled Restoring Order and Control, it aims to reduce arrivals and increase removals.

She has announced a series of sweeping measures, including bringing in temporary rather than permanent refugee status and ending automatic settlement for those granted protection.

There will be tighter family reunion rules, raising age, income, and integration requirements and faster removal powers for failed asylum seekers.

Children will also be targeted, with the Labour government threatening to “remove people we have not removed before, including families”.

Meanwhile, the government will axe a legal requirement to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.

The proposals, seen as a sharp lurch to the right as the government tries to fend off a challenge from Reform, have come under concerted attack – including from some backbench Labour MPs who have said the moves are pandering to the far-right.

Charities also voiced dismay and anger at the proposals.

Sabir Zazai, CEO of Scottish Refugee Council, said: “We can have a firm, fair asylum system without abandoning our humanity. It is entirely reasonable that if someone’s asylum claim is refused after full consideration, they return home. But the way we speak about people seeking sanctuary matters just as much as the policies we design.”

Dr Zazai warned that political rhetoric has become increasingly dehumanising — and that adopting the tone of the far-right is both morally wrong and socially dangerous.

He said: “People fleeing war, persecution and trauma are not a burden. They are not a threat. They are human beings. Yet too often, the way we talk about them strips away their dignity. When politicians use language that echoes the far-right, they don’t defeat extremism — they legitimise it.”

“Imagine arriving here with nothing, being placed in cold, overcrowded accommodation, and surviving on just a few pounds a week. Then imagine being told your right to remain may be denied simply because your family doesn’t meet new thresholds.

“We can protect our borders without undermining our humanity. We can enforce rules without embracing rhetoric that divides. The UK must show that firmness and compassion can go hand in hand — and that the dignity of every person remains at the heart of our asylum system.

“People in Scotland want an asylum system that is controlled, that they have confidence in, and that shows compassion. The home secretary’s announcement does none of these things. We need a humane, effective and efficient system that could work for communities across the United Kingdom and those seeking protection.”

International aid organisations said the UK Government proposals are “cruel, divisive and fundamentally out of step with basic decency”.

Flora Alexander, the International Rescue Committee’s UK executive director, said: “The measures announced by the government will not fix the system. They will simply exacerbate existing challenges.

“The promise of safe routes is critical, but making admission conditional on credentials will exclude the world’s most vulnerable people.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said: “The home secretary’s immigration and asylum plans are cruel, divisive and fundamentally out of step with basic decency.

“Forcing refugees into endless short-term applications, denying visas to partners and children and stripping away support for people who would otherwise be destitute will only deepen chaos, increase costs and hand greater power to people smugglers.”

The United Nations’ refugee organisation the UNHCR said the government should not treat refugees as if they were economic migrants.

Vicky Tennant, UNHCR’s UK representative, said: “UNHCR urges that they [refugees] be given a stable status that allows them to rebuild their lives and reunite with their families, while a long-term, durable solution is sought.

“Short-term stay arrangements and stringent limitations on refugee family reunion often create prolonged uncertainty and despair, undermining integration and social cohesion.”