Shabana Mahmood announces reopening of refugee resettlement scheme
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has spoken about feeling a “shiver of revulsion and fear” at the sight of “racists masked up, dressed all in black” as she announced the reopening of a scheme for vulnerable refugees to come to the UK, reports BritPanorama.
Speaking at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Monday, Ms Mahmood pledged to restore fairness and control to the UK’s migration system, stating, “It is not fair that those with a genuine need of protection cannot find a safe and legal way to claim asylum.”
Starting next month, charities, non-profits, and universities will be able to sponsor refugees under two bespoke pathways. The government will also reopen the UK resettlement route, partnering with the United Nations to bring vulnerable refugees to Britain for a better life.
This limited scheme aims to bring hundreds of refugees to the UK each year, with one in four arrivals expected to be Afghan women and girls, as well as Palestinians.
The home secretary told Labour members that she understood “the fear that some communities have felt in recent times,” adding, “I have felt the same shiver of revulsion and fear at the sight of racists masked up, dressed all in black, whose actions are designed to threaten communities like mine.”
Her comments follow incidents where hundreds of masked men blocked roads in Dover earlier this month, protesting against illegal migration.
Ms Mahmood also addressed the concerns expressed by the Jewish community, which has been “subject to rising antisemitism, and targeted by the hostile acts of foreign powers, who plot violence against our fellow countrymen and women.”
She acknowledged the need for continued action, particularly against threats posed by young individuals radicalized online.
At the beginning of her speech, the home secretary mentioned ongoing events at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, where five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offences but have since been released on bail.
Ms Mahmood praised the “spirit of resilience” of those living near the RAF base, used by the US military, and remarked that such incidents are reminders that vigilance is essential during times of heightened threat.
The home secretary defended her contentious reforms to legal settlement in the UK, designed to make it more difficult for many foreign nationals to obtain permanent leave to remain. She asserted, “We will come to a position that balances fairness for those who came here legally, and fairness to British citizens across this country.”
In response, Dr. Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, stated, “Safe and legal routes for people fleeing humanitarian crises are desperately needed. But, earlier this year in March, the home secretary excluded Afghanistan from the list of countries from which nationals are eligible to apply for Study and Work visa routes, undermining that very objective.”
She emphasized that while today’s announcement is welcome, Ms Mahmood has proposed the biggest restrictions to settlement in a generation, potentially forcing refugees into prolonged insecurity.
Concluding her address, Ms Mahmood reiterated her commitment to restoring fairness and fostering compassion, stating, “Knife crime: down. Serious violence: down. Net migration: down. Small boat crossings: down. That is how we make this country fairer. That is how we defeat the forces of division. That is how we hold this country together.”
