UK: UN Rights Chief Expresses Concerns Over Migration Bill

The United Nations human rights chief has expressed his concerns to the British government about its legislation to combat illegal migration. The human rights chief cited concerns that it would bar people from seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in an interview in Geneva that he relayed his concerns to the British government about its migration bill last month. Turk, a veteran UN diplomat, has said that anti-migrant laws and narratives are being perpetuated by wealthier countries despite having taken in fewer migrants and refugees than many poorer countries such as Uganda and Bangladesh.

“We have very serious concerns from an international refugee law and from an international human rights law perspective because it would essentially bar people from seeking asylum in the UK if they come through a certain way,” said Turk.

“I don’t understand how in the Global North when the numbers are much less, I mean significantly less…there is all this kerfuffle about or hysteria about it when frankly, it shouldn’t be the case,” said Turk, who called for more action to be taken on human traffickers and promoting regular migration routes instead.

The legal rights of refugees are part of a 1951 refugee convention, which the UK is among the countries that ratified.

Back in April, the UK’s Illegal Migration Bill was approved by the lower house of the British parliament. Should it pass the House of Lords, the legislation would immediately detain and deport migrants who arrive in the UK on small boats back to their home countries or to third countries like Rwanda.

On the same day, the British government said it plans on taking steps to close a legal loophole that allows retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in an effort to crack down on electronic cigarettes. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement released by the health department that he was concerned about the rise of children vaping and “shocked by reports of illicit vapes” that children are able to access, referring to a report by the BBC last week.

Sunak cited a 2023 survey by the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health of teenagers between 11 and 17 years old, where two out of five people said they smoke vapes to try it, while one out of five said they tried it out of peer pressure.

Photo: Plamen Stoimenov (Bulgarian Presidency)/Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0)