Labor government to create independent commission amid hotel housing crisis and mounting political pressure.

The Sunday Times reported that the British government plans to reform the asylum appeals system to speed up the deportation of migrants without the right to remain in the United Kingdom.

RELATED:

UK Interior Ministry Reports Rise in Asylum Seekers Housed in Hotels

To achieve this, the Labor government will establish a new independent body to accelerate the processing of cases, as current judicial delays in handling migrants’ appeals to stay in the UK are seen as the main pressure on the hotel housing system.

A commission of professional arbitrators will quickly evaluate migrants’ appeals and decide whether to uphold the Home Office’s decision to deny them asylum and deport them.

The Home Office believes this will cut the time needed to process appeals — the average case now takes more than a year — allowing the government to move asylum-seekers out of hotels more quickly.

The British government is concerned that some lower court judges may overturn asylum decisions based on an overly broad interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly regarding the right to family life. Under the reforms, the independent commission will replace these lower courts.

The government has inherited “an asylum system in chaos, with a massive backlog of asylum cases and a failed appeals system, with thousands of people stuck in the system for years. That is why we are taking practical steps to rebuild the foundations and restore control and order to the system. We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

On Saturday, several British cities saw new protests over the housing of asylum-seekers in hotels, with a heavy police presence due to the participation of both anti-migrant demonstrators and anti-racism groups.

Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing populist Reform UK party, which currently leads in voter intention polls, said Sunday that he plans mass deportations of migrants if his party comes to power.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: The Sunday Times – EFE

IN THIS ARTICLE