December 19, 2022 鈥 Commenting on today鈥檚 High Court ruling, Laura Kyrke-Smith, Executive Director of 探花精选 UK, said,
鈥淭his ruling does not change the fact that Home Office evidence shows that deterrence measures such as the Rwanda Plan are failing to stop desperate people embarking on dangerous journeys across the Channel. This is at least in part because there remains no safe way to claim asylum from outside the UK.
Instead of focussing on ineffective deterrence measures, the Government should uphold its shared global responsibility for refugee protection and establish safe routes for asylum seekers. This means allowing asylum applications from outside the UK, strengthening refugee family reunion, and ensuring that protection is granted on the basis of need, not on the mode of arrival.
We know the majority of those crossing are fleeing conflict, crisis and persecution, and go on to receive asylum. Instead of sending vulnerable and traumatised people miles away, the UK Government should remind the world of its strength and compassion by ensuring it has an effective asylum system of its own.鈥