Nearly 80 Labour MPs have called on Andy Burnham to adopt a more liberal stance on immigration, warning that otherwise the party will become an 'imitation' of Reform. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The MPs claim the government's language on immigration has been too hostile. They argue that most voters are 'balancers' who understand the benefits and costs of migration. 'We must speak to both groups simultaneously and persuasively. Currently, we are seen to talk much more about control than compassion. And when we talk about compassion, progressives do not believe us because our hostile rhetoric has already alienated them,' the letter states.
The MPs noted that measures introduced during Labour's first year in office (when Yvette Cooper was home secretary) are working. 'Talking tough is not the same as effective action. The reductions in the asylum backlogs, in small boat crossings and in hotel use that we have seen are the fruits of what our Labour Government started in its first 12 months or so,' they wrote.
They call for 'a national migration levels plan' that should set out expected migration flows, labour market needs, public service impacts and policy choices, all supported by an annual statement to Parliament.
Among policy proposals, they include allowing asylum seekers the right to work after six months. 'On asylum and refugees, we must start by stripping out the hostile rhetoric which triggers existing anxieties. We must also deliver an efficient asylum system, which should include: closing asylum hotels and investing savings into national housing stock; improving the asylum accommodation system; ending rip-off contracts and the privatisation premium; tackling the appeals backlog by resourcing the existing appeals body properly; and building a coalition of willing countries around a future vision for refugee protection that is not reliant on irregular migration,' the letter says.
The MPs demand an expansion of managed asylum routes, a review of the pause on family reunion for unaccompanied minors, and the introduction of the right to work for asylum seekers after six months.