We’ve joined 147 other organisations in signing a letter to the Home Secretary, coordinated by the Refugee Council, condemning this government’s decision to ban most refugees from ever becoming British citizens based on the way they arrived in the UK.
This letter was featured in the Guardian. Read the full letter below, and find the full list of signatories on the Refugee Council website.
Dear Home Secretary,
We are writing as organisations including people with lived experience of seeking asylum, faith groups and those who work with refugees, to ask you to urgently reconsider the decision to effectively ban tens of thousands of refugees from ever becoming British citizens.
Since July 2024, the Government has taken welcome steps to address the dysfunctional asylum system it inherited. In particular, removing the barriers to the processing of asylum claims means that those people in need of protection can be allowed to rebuild their lives in the UK. There must be a focus on ensuring they are welcomed and integrated into British life.
It was only last August that violent mobs sought to burn refugees alive in a hotel. Those communities are still healing from that violence and part of the response to the violence should be on creating integrated communities. Labelling refugees, who through no fault of their own have had to put their lives at risk on flimsy vessels, or have had to hide in the backs of lorries to reach safety on our shores, as a type of second class individual will simply breed division and distrust. It risks playing into a toxic politics that pits ‘us vs them’ and is then manipulated by the far right to bring hate and disorder to our streets.
Previous Labour governments have recognised the importance of citizenship. Under Tony Blair’s administration, the key stated aim of the 2005 paper ‘Integration Matters: A National Strategy for Refugee Integration’, was “to help as many refugees as possible to take up citizenship of the UK if they wish.” It recognised the role of citizenship in fostering integration and the proportion of refugees applying for citizenship was a key indicator for the strategy.
Over generations, refugees who had to risk their lives because there wasn’t a safe way to reach the UK have become proud British citizens in many professions including as doctors, entrepreneurs and also politicians representing their communities. Many have been honoured by the royal family for their achievements. Citizenship is not just a legal status; it is a tangible fulfilment of the promise of safety, dignity, and opportunity. When refugees become citizens, they feel a greater sense of belonging as full members of their communities with a stable future for themselves, their children and generations to come.
We urge you to reverse this change and instead work with us and others up and down the country to celebrate the country’s heritage of welcoming refugees and focus on the importance of a shared community that delivers for all.