Refugees ‘scapegoated’ by government, claims Rayner

Labour’s deputy leader was speaking at a meeting of campaign network Citizens UK in central London on Monday night, local democracy reporter Noah Vickers reports.

Refugees are scapegoats for the government’s immigration failures, Angela Rayner told a packed meeting in central London on Monday (1).

Speaking at an event hosted by grassroots campaign network Citizens UK, Labour’s deputy leader also said parts of the general election were “ugly” and admitted that if Labor forms the next government, “it will not always be Easy”.

With just days to go until the election, Rayner answered questions from Citizens UK representatives on pay, housing, migration and devolution at Westminster’s Methodist Central Hall.

She told the event that under the current government, refugees are being “scapegoated while those in power fail to take responsibility for our crumbling immigration system”.

Labor has repeatedly pointed to the fact that more than 50,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Rishi Sunak became prime minister and say the Tories have created a “backlog” by failing to process their asylum claims in a timely manner.

The Tories have also accused Labor of failing to properly explain how they will “stop the boats” and say Sir Keir Starmer’s party would remove a vital “deterrent” to illegal migrants by ditching the Tories’ plan to send asylum seekers in Rwanda.

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On immigration more broadly, the Conservatives said voters “should not surrender to uncontrolled and unlimited immigration under Labour”, despite Labour’s manifesto pledge to reduce net migration.

Rayner later said in his speech to Citizens UK: “Parts of this election campaign have been a bit ugly and if we win this Thursday (4), being in government won’t always be easy either.

“But we know change has to happen and we know how change has to happen – (through) the good graft of people like you. Decisions made not just by those in Westminster and Whitehall, but by those with skin in the game.”

The event was also heard by Sara Gezdari, the Conservative candidate for Richmond Park, and Lord Newby, who leads the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.

Gezdari pointed out that the Tories have promised to ensure “safe and legal pathways” are available to asylum seekers, building on the government’s schemes for those fleeing Hong Kong, Ukraine and Afghanistan.

The Conservative manifesto promises to “give parliament control over how many places we provide on safe and legal routes to support those in real need around the world, with a cap based on the capacity of local areas”.

Lord Newby said the Lib Dems would “allow all asylum seekers to work within three months of arriving in the UK, instead of falling ill, not being allowed to work, costing the country, going through a miserable”.

He added: “We should embrace and use their talents instead of wasting them.”

The law currently states that people who have applied for asylum in the UK can apply for permission to work if they have waited twelve months for a decision and only if they themselves are not considered responsible for the delay.

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