UK Government's 'anti-refugee bill' set for Commons debate

The UK Parliament is set to once again debate the “anti-refugee” Nationality and Borders Bill, amidst fierce criticism from opposition parties and third sector agencies.

The bill has been slammed by a raft of charities in Scotland including the Scottish Refugee Council, Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid, which have branded the legislation “anti-survivor, anti-refugee and anti-safety”. In a joint letter the organisations said the bill “will kill and leave people to suffer”.

The bill has is set to come back to the House of Commons later today, after being amended in the House of Lords following a series of defeats for the Conservative government.

Speaking ahead of the debate, the SNP’s home affairs spokesperson Stuart McDonald MP said: “The proposals at the heart of this bill are appalling - and the subsequent displacement of people from Myanmar, Afghanistan, and now Ukraine highlight as never before how utterly out of touch with reality this UK government is.

“The anti-refugee Nationality and Borders Bill is nothing less than a full-frontal assault on the UK’s international obligations including the Refugee Convention. While humanitarian crises continue across the world, the Tories are essentially ripping up a convention that is there to provide sanctuary to those fleeing unimaginable horrors.

“If passed, the Bill will see many people seeking safety, criminalised with an offence punishable with up to 4 years in prison – whether they have fled the Taliban in Afghanistan, sought refuge from the wars in Syria, or are fleeing the illegal war Russia is pursuing in Ukraine.”

The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd have both voted overwhelmingly to reject the UK government’s new package of immigration reforms, citing possible infringements on the devolved governments’ powers.

The Bill seeks to overturn previous interpretations of the UK’s obligations under the UN’s Refugee Convention by making it a criminal offence to enter the UK by illegal means to seek asylum.

It would only offer temporary protection to those who entered the UK covertly or came via a ‘safe’ third country.

The government has previously said the bill would create a "firm but fair" process, allowing the UK to "take full control of its borders" in a post-Brexit world, while the Home Office has said the "vast majority" of voters supported its bill.