Suella Braverman accused of ‘pouring gasoline on a racist fire’ during illegal immigration bill

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Activists have accused Suella Braverman of ‘pouring petrol on a xenophobic and racist fire’ as government immigration legislation clears the Commons. The Home Secretary previously said people arriving in the UK in small boats had values ​​’at odds with our country’ before MPs debated the Illegal Migration Bill.

When later asked if she had any numbers to back up that statement, she said it was based on information she gathered from police chiefs. It came as backbench Tories including former Prime Minister Theresa May and former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith raised concerns in Parliament about the impact that the government’s flagship reforms immigration might have on protections against modern slavery.

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But the bill passed the House of Commons without any drama in votes after MPs gave it a third reading by 289 votes to 230, majority 59. “I think people who come here illegally have values ​​that are at odds with our country,” the Home Secretary said earlier.

At a later event in Westminster, she added: “Not in all cases, but it’s becoming a notable feature of everyday crime fighting in England and Wales. Many people come here illegally and get involved very quickly in the drug trade, in other forms of exploitation”.

When asked if this claim was based on empirical evidence, she replied, “I consider police chiefs to be experts in their field and authoritative sources of information.”

The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so that people who arrive in the UK illegally are detained and then quickly returned, either to their country of origin or to a safe third country such as Rwanda. Critics of the bill have dismissed the bill as unworkable, while right-wing Tory MPs say it doesn’t go far enough.

Other conservatives want greater protection for minors and victims of human trafficking. Ministers have already given in to some demands to avoid possible revolts, with a series of government amendments approved in the House of Commons.

The government has not been able to say whether the legislation complies with the European Convention on Human Rights. Although the Bill has been approved by the House of Commons, it will face a severe test from the Lords when it comes under further scrutiny.

Ms May warned it would leave more people enslaved in the UK, calling it a “slap in the face” for anyone who cares about victims of human trafficking. She told the Commons: “Modern slavery is the greatest human rights issue of our time. The approach of this bill, I believe, will have many ramifications. I believe it will compel the victims to remain in slavery.”

Sir Iain said: “We need to send the right signals about this and I think the problem with this bill at the moment is that it is now unnecessarily targeting a group of people who are not the problem, themselves will suffer and ironically we will fail as the Government through Home Affairs because the police simply cannot get these prosecutions.”

Labor condemned Ms Braverman’s comments on migrant values, with a spokesperson calling them “a kind of invective” that signals the policies being promoted “have failed”. Activists accused her of ‘pouring petrol on a xenophobic and racist fire that they (the government) started themselves’.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee and migrant rights director at Amnesty International UK, said: “Suella Braverman’s hissing remarks about migrants’ ‘values’ being ‘at odds’ with UK ‘norms’ are appallingly divisive and shamelessly aim to stoke fear and hatred among those seeking refuge in this country. No one should suffer such blatant exposure to prejudice and hostility, especially not in the form of highly insensitive remarks from of the Minister of the Interior.

“The government’s draconian asylum legislation is already on the verge of destroying legal protections in this country for refugees, victims of human trafficking and many others, while Suella Braverman continues to pay oil on a xenophobic and racist fire that they themselves lit.”

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