KIRKHOPE WRITES TO BLAIR ON ASYLUM

Tuesday 21 January 2003

 

The Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
10 Downing Street
London SW1

Monday 20 January 2002

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to you today in my capacity as the Conservative Party's European Home Affairs Spokesman to express my concerns about the asylum situation in the United Kingdom and, specifically, your Government's asylum policy.

By common international consent, the United Kingdom has too many asylum seekers. Indeed, over Christmas the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers admitted that we have already taken in 'our fair share'.

In light of this, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that as an emergency measure the UK should temporarily withdraw from the UN Convention on Refugees. This would give us space to examine the current asylum system and consider options for reform. We should also immediately reintroduce outward immigration checks to prevent temporary visitors to this country outstaying their welcome.

In comparison with the asylum systems in other European Union member states, Britain is alone in its unnecessarily bureaucratic and lengthy asylum process. To rectify this, we should follow our European partners and end the possibility of judicial review for asylum applications. This would speed up the process and thus deter asylum seekers who come to the UK from other safe countries in the knowledge that their unfounded claim will take longer to reject in Britain than elsewhere.

Having reformed our asylum system in this way, we should then seriously reconsider the case for Identity Cards. Although it is with great regret and reluctance that I come to this conclusion, I believe that current the number of illegal asylum seekers, the war against terrorism and the possibility of war against Iraq, and the other domestic and security issues merits the introduction of ID cards. Once a system of ID cards is in place, Britain will be able to follow other EU member states in having internal police checks to reduce the possibility of illegal asylum seekers going unmonitored for long periods.

I hope you will consider my proposals carefully and respond positively and urgently to this national crisis.

Yours sincerely,

Timothy Kirkhope MEP

European Home Affairs Spokesman, Conservative Party

UK Immigration and Asylum Minister, 1995-1997