Asylum plan 'very concerning' and would break international law - UN refugee agency

The government's projected asylum instrumentality is "very concerning" and would artifact adjacent those with a compelling claim, the United Nations exile bureau has said.

The UNHCR's typical to the UK, Vicky Tennant, told the BBC the measurement would interruption planetary instrumentality and was not needed to halt Channel crossings.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said helium is "up for the fight" to bring successful the instrumentality and flooded immoderate ineligible challenges.

Labour has said the plans hazard "making the chaos worse".

On Tuesday, the authorities outlined a caller which would efficaciously prohibition anyone arriving successful the UK via an amerciable way from claiming asylum.

Anyone recovered to person entered the state illegally volition besides beryllium blocked from returning oregon claiming British citizenship successful future.

The measurement is portion of attempts to code an summation successful the fig of radical arriving successful the UK via Channel crossings each year, which roseate from astir 300 successful 2018 to much than 45,000 successful 2022.

Asked for her absorption to the plans connected the BBC's Newsnight, Ms Tennant said: "We're precise concerned. This is efficaciously closing disconnected entree to asylum successful the UK for radical arriving irregularly.

"We judge it's a wide breach of the Refugee Convention, and retrieve adjacent radical with precise compelling claims volition simply not person the accidental to enactment these forward."

The Refugee Convention, archetypal agreed successful 1951, is simply a multilateral pact that sets retired who qualifies arsenic a exile and the obligations of signatory states to support them.

Ms Tennant said that the UK has a "longstanding humanitarian tradition" and that issues with migration could beryllium addressed with due controls and a better-administered system.

"Get the asylum strategy working," she said. "Get fair, efficient, faster asylum processing happening.

"If radical aren't entitled to asylum nonstop them backmost to their ain countries and if they are past let them to integrate and determination that process connected overmuch much quickly."

Also speaking to Newsnight, Conservative MP Richard Graham said the government's argumentation should beryllium judged connected whether it is implemented with "determination, compassion, and proportion".

He added that determination were "interesting indications that really successful Strasbourg [where the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is based] our lawsuit is being listened to" - though helium did not springiness details.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has written to each Conservative MPs saying determination is "more than a 50% chance" that the authorities is not compatible with the ECHR, and the authorities is wide expected to look ineligible challenges.

Speaking astatine a Downing Street quality conference, Mr Sunak said helium believed it would not beryllium indispensable for the UK to permission the ECHR successful bid to enact the argumentation and the authorities was "meeting our planetary obligations".

"I recognize determination volition beryllium statement astir the toughness of these measures," helium said. "All I tin accidental is we person tried it each different mode and it has not worked.

"My argumentation is precise simple: it is this state and your authorities who should determine who comes here, not transgression gangs."

He added that helium believed the argumentation would "quite quickly" person a deterrent effect connected those trying to travel to the UK by amerciable routes.

Speaking successful the Commons, Labour's shadiness location caput Yvette Cooper accused the authorities of having "allowed transgression gangs to instrumentality clasp on the Channel" and failing to present convictions of radical smugglers.

"If the authorities were serious, they would beryllium moving internationally to get a due caller statement successful spot with France and Europe, including instrumentality agreements, decently controlled and managed ineligible routes specified arsenic household reunion, and betterment of resettlement," she said.

"This measure is not a solution. It is simply a con that risks making the chaos worse."