Shabana Mahmood rules out joining Reform after MP praises ‘rhetoric’ on asylum seekers
Former Conservative MP Danny Kruger welcomed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s “rhetoric” and even jokingly suggested she might join him in joining Reform UK.
Despite this initial praise, Mr Kruger expressed significant reservations to MPs, fearing the new asylum policies would “not stop the laws” and claimed they were being used to delay and prevent failed asylum seekers from being removed from the country.
On Monday, Ms Mahmood announced a series of measures clearly designed to “tackle the pull factors that draw people to this country”.
These include plans to remove aid from refugees who “can work but choose not to work.”
The Home Secretary also vowed to narrow down the UK’s interpretation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects the right to respect for private and family life.
Under the proposed changes, “family” would be defined only as “parents and their children” and asylum seekers would only be allowed to apply using this right if they are already in the UK.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the moves as “baby steps but positive”.
Mr Kruger told the House of Commons: “I welcome the rhetoric announced by the Home Secretary.
“Actually, I understand the Home Minister’s rhetoric today; we have a plan to restore justice, he has announced a plan to restore order and control.
“But before he applies to join Reform UK, which I would welcome him doing, can I reveal the difference between our parties?
“Unlike the government, we do not propose to give illegal immigrants the right to stay here for 2.5 years after arrival, we do not propose to give them the right to study and work here, we do not propose to allow them to bring their families here and, most importantly, we will not change our law to comply with the ECHR.”
The East Wiltshire MP, who joined Nigel Farage’s party earlier this year, warned the move “will not stop the legislation”.
Referring to the invitation to join Reformation England, Ms Mahmood said: “It’s on my corpse.”
Ms Badenoch previously said: “Some of the measures he has announced today are undoubtedly positive steps – small steps but positive nonetheless.
“We welcome the provisionalization of refugee status and the removal of the last Labor government’s legislation creating a duty to support asylum seekers. He is right to do so.”
But the Conservative leader said the Government’s statement “does not go far enough” and continued: “The truth is that we have looked at this issue from every possible angle and the truth is that any plan that does not include leaving the ECHR as a necessary step is a waste of time we do not have.”
“Just like plans to bust gangs or the ‘one in one out’ policy, this is a waste of time and doomed to fail because of the law.”
And Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP, gave Ms Mahmood a “seven out of 10” for her announcement.
“Obviously he has strong Conservative instincts,” he said with a laugh.
Sir Edward called on the Home Secretary to “keep an open mind about plans like Rwanda”, referring to the previous government’s aborted plan to send asylum seekers to Africa if they crossed into the UK without permission.
Ms Mahmood replied: “No in Rwanda.”
The Home Secretary was also criticized for his statement by the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson.
He said: “It is not helpful for the Home Secretary to claim that the country is being torn apart by immigration.”
In her response, Ms Mahmood said: “I wish I had the privilege of traveling around this country and not seeing the division that the immigration and asylum system has created across this country.
“Unfortunately, unlike him, I am the one regularly called a Pakistani and told to return home.
“I am the one who knows from my own personal experience and the experiences of my constituents how divisive the issue of asylum has become in our country.”
Former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Ms Mahmood of “trying to appease the most egregious right-wing racist forces in the whole of Europe by undermining and moving away from the ECHR, a convention created by the post-war Labor government”.
The Your Party co-founder added that large numbers of refugees were arriving from Afghanistan, which Britain “helped turn into a war-torn country”.
He asked: “Does he not understand that history will be a harsh judge against this Government if it undermines all the global humanitarian principles behind the ECHR and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?”
Ms Mahmood said claimants from Afghanistan had access to “bespoke plans”.
The cabinet minister said he wanted to “encourage people to come by safe and legal routes” rather than crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Ms Mahmood also said she was “saddened to learn that the Reform party was living rent-free in so many people’s minds” after Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts told MPs that “emulating Reformation doesn’t create unity, it doesn’t win trust”, but said the party was “not even close” to hers.
