More than 130 refugee and human rights organisations have called on Keir Starmer to stop using language that demonises migrants, after he made controversial remarks before an international people-smuggling summit.
The criticisms are contained in a letter to the UK prime minister, coordinated by the campaign coalition Together With Refugees. It has been sent to the prime minister in response to comments he made before the Organised Immigration Crime Summit on 31 March, where more than 40 countries came together in London to focus on tackling organised immigration crime including people-smuggling gangs.
Starmer said: “But we all pay the price for insecure borders – from the cost of accommodating migrants to the strain on our public services. It is a basic question of fairness.”
In an open letter to the prime minister, the organisations say: “Now is not the time to play into the hands of those seeking to build them-and-us division between local communities and refugees. It is the time to move away from the hostile politics, racist rhetoric and demonising language of the past and unite our communities for a different way forward.”
The 136 signatories are from a range of organisations across the UK including City of Sanctuary UK, Choose Love, Freedom from Torture, One Strong Voice, Rainbow Migration, Refugee Action, Refugee Council, Safe Passage International, Scottish Refugee Council, Welsh Refugee Council and the Public and Commercial Services Union.
The letter states: “You told us this week that immigration ‘is a basic question of fairness’. We agree. But the searing experiences of last summer, when hate-filled mobs tried to burn down hotels hosting asylum seekers, make it clear that the path to fairness is not to be found in those pitting local communities against refugees seeking safety from persecution and war.”
The letter also responds to the summit’s focus on targeting smuggling gangs, saying: “Rather than the border security summit’s focus on expensive new ways to disrupt people smugglers, often making the journey more dangerous for refugees, the government should be looking at safe routes for refugees to get here without risking their lives.”
Tim Naor Hilton, the chief executive of Refugee Action, said: “We need the prime minister and his government to be brave and ditch the divisive language that scapegoats migrants, including refugees and people seeking asylum.
“Hostile policies and rhetoric risk fuelling more of the racist, Islamophobic and anti-immigrant riots that tore through our communities last summer.
“The government must use language that focuses on unity and community resilience, and develop a new asylum system that is grounded in rights and justice.”
Nico Ndlovu, a signatory and the representative of the lived experience campaign group One Strong Voice, said: “The prime minister’s words this week make no recognition of our suffering and why we desperately need to find safety, or our contribution to this country, its economy and culture.
“It’s painful to hear him add his voice to this kind of hostile rhetoric. Rather than this summit’s narrow and expensive focus on people smugglers we need a proper vision for the asylum system, with a plan that is fair, compassionate and well managed.”
The letter calls for a new plan for refugees that is compassionate and well managed including fair, rapid decisions on their application for asylum, and the chance to rebuild their lives, stronger global cooperation to tackle the root causes that force people to flee their homes and safe routes for refugees.
A government spokesperson said: “As the prime minister made clear, there is nothing compassionate about turning a blind eye to the vile gangs who ruthlessly exploit vulnerable people and trade in human misery. This is why we have launched an unprecedented global fight against these criminals to secure our borders as part of our plan for change.”