Asylum Seekers Who Travel Through Safe Countries to Reach England Should be Turned Away, Say Lawmakers

A new grouping of Conservative members of parliament has called on the government to radically overhaul the “not fit for purpose” asylum system, saying migrants who travel to the UK from safe countries shouldn’t be granted asylum.

The letter to Boris Johnson from the so-called Common Sense parliamentary group comes as the United Kingdom faces an unprecedented influx of illegal migrants being assisted over the channel by people smugglers, and brought ashore by Border Force government boats. Over 5,000 boat migrants are known to have landed in the United Kingdom this year so far, an all-time high.

The members call for “root and brand reform” and — perhaps most significantly — that asylum claims made by arrivals who travelled through safe countries before arriving in England be rejected.

An August YouGov poll found a general lack of sympathy with illegal migrants coming to Britain from safe countries to claim asylum. Only one-third of Britains polled thought the nation had a responsibility to accept illegals.

In contrast with those views, the situation remains presently that migrants who attempt to cross the Channel will be given assistance if they require it by the Border Force and lifeboat charities, and in the vast majority of cases not deported — both significant pull-factors for would-be illegals considering risking the dangerous voyage.