Restarting the asylum system

The Refugee Council is the nation’s refugee charity. Together with community groups, partners and volunteers, we help people who have escaped war and persecution to rebuild their lives, integrate into communities, and play their part in Britain.

In 2023, the former Government introduced the Illegal Migration Act. This amounted to a de-facto ban on asylum claims made on UK soil. Asylum seekers faced being forcibly removed to Rwanda, where their asylum claim would be processed. Meanwhile, the UK asylum system was at a standstill, leaving people in limbo – unable to work and stuck in temporary accommodation.

We therefore focused our policy work on ensuring Britain operates a fair and humane asylum system – with robust asylum decision-making processes and protection of the right to claim asylum on UK soil.

When the Labour Government came into office, four of our policy calls were quickly actioned: •The asylum decision-making process was restarted. •The Rwanda plan was scrapped. •The Bibby Stockholm Barge was taken out of use as asylum accommodation. •The asylum accommodation move-on period for newly recognised refugees was extended.

Surviving an existential threat to the UK refugee protection system was the result of several years of effective advocacy.