The news that the Liverpool bomber was a rejected asylum seeker prompted some tough questions this week. The Remembrance Day horror, which could have been much worse, is the latest example of the dangers and deadly risks posed by lax and negligent immigration enforcement policies. It is totally irresponsible and only jeopardises the safety of British citizens. The fact that a failed asylum seeker who was known to police for brandishing a knife in public was allowed to remain at large simply confirms what we have been warning about for a long time: our asylum system is not fit for purpose and threatens our safety and security. (See our paper here, and our blog here). This was underlined by a damning report from the independent borders watchdog this week which pointed to the huge backlogs and inefficiencies in an asylum system that costs taxpayers £1.5 billion per year. You can read the full report here and our comment here.
Blog of the week
As we never tire of pointing out, the gap between rhetoric and reality in the government’s new post-Brexit visa system is shockingly wide. Swathes of the electorate voted for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives because they assumed ‘get Brexit done’ meant reducing immigration and prioritising long-neglected British workers. In truth, this government has taken away the requirement for companies to offer opportunities to British job seekers before turning to foreign workers. Instead of this, the 2019 voter got yet another bunch of open-borders globalists. We must put British workers first. See the full blog here.
Migration Watch in the news
Given the terrible news at the weekend, our Chairman Alp Mehmet has been in demand from the national press in recent days. See his comments below:
GB News: Our asylum system is overwhelmed and abused
‘Now, [asylum] is a guaranteed way of getting to this country or any country in Europe and staying there.’
‘Why this person was not removed or detained having been denied asylum is utterly baffling. We need to know.’
You can also see Alp’s comment quoted in The Sun here.
And here are some other comments on asylum-related issues.
GB News: Should we bring the Royal Navy in to police our waters?
‘Another day, another record it seems… it’s going to go on increasing, I’m afraid.’
Talk Radio: Why are our borders so porous…?
‘Clearly, if we are going to solve this crisis, the French, and the EU, have got to be on board as well.’
And see below for our Executive Director Dr Ben Greening’s analysis of the Remembrance Day bomb attack:
The Conservative Woman: Liverpool bomb exposes asylum shambles
‘It’s a potent reminder of the fact that our borders are frankly uncontrolled. 34,000 people have crossed the Channel illegally in boats from France since the start of 2018. These unauthorised migrants cannot be properly vetted so may pose a real threat to public safety.’
Make your voice heard
Whether it is asylum numbers or the government’s systematic opening up of our visa system to millions from around the globe, it is clear that democracy is being betrayed through the deliberate failure properly to control our borders and immigration flows. The majority of the public voted for a clear reduction in immigration in 2016 and 2019 (2010 and 2015 too), but all we got is surging illegal entries, a sheer lack of control at the Channel and a lot of rhetorical bromides. The full impact of the alleged ‘points-based’ system may not be known for a while, but with key controls now removed, it doesn’t bode well. The good news is you are not powerless. Britain is still a democracy. Please write to your MP and make your voice heard on the shambles that is border control and continuing runaway immigration.