Shabana Mahmood’s double down on immigration ‘disappointing’, says Alf Dubs | Shabana Mahmood
The Home Secretary’s decision to double down on tough immigration reforms in light of Labour’s by-election defeat to the Green party is “disappointing”, according to Labour’s Alf Dubs.
Lord Dubs, a child refugee who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, had previously accused Shabana Mahmood of “lifting the drawbridge” over child immigrants.
Plumber and Greens councilor Hannah Spencer won the previously safe Labor seat of Gorton and Denton in east Manchester on Thursday, overturning a majority of 13,000. Labor candidate Angeliki Stogia came third behind Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin.
Labor has been accused of alienating left-wing voters by trying to combat the rise of Reformation, particularly on the issue of immigration.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Labor’s proposed immigration reforms, modeled on the strict Danish system, reflected “far-right rhetoric”.
Mahmood indicated on Friday that he would continue with the controversial policies despite the objections of many Labor MPs and union officials.
The government is planning the biggest shake-up of the asylum system in the last 40 years. Under the proposals, those who enter the country illegally would have to wait 20 years to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
“Greens show they are probably in the right place from a human perspective [on immigration]“The Reformation did not work as well as the Reformation was expected to do,” Dubs said.
Dubs, 93, said he did not find Mahmood’s reaction “logical” in light of the humiliating by-election defeat.
The Green party has proposed its own reforms to the immigration system, saying asylum seekers should be allowed to work and the government should create safer routes for refugees to enter the country.
The Labor reforms are widely seen as a response to increased support for Reformation. Nigel Farage has said his party would revoke indefinite leave to remain and deport around 600,000 immigrants in his first term if it comes to power.
“According to me [Mahmood] Dubs should be much more impressed by the fact that the Greens have won a victory and the Greens have a sensible policy on this issue, he said, and Labor should have an equally sensible policy.
He added that he was particularly concerned about the situation of child refugees, many of whom were affected by last year’s decision to suspend family reunification visas.
Until September, an adult granted refugee status could sponsor their spouse or partner and dependent children under the age of 18 to join them.
“We should already have a more humane policy towards refugees and asylum seekers, especially family reunification and children,” he added.
“I guess what [Mahmood] These words are disappointing and he hopes that he will leave this position and reach a better deal.
“If the child is abroad and has a close family with settled status here, family reunification of refugee children should be one of the priorities. Children should be able to come here as refugees.”
