Asylum Seekers

Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution – in the Senedd at 2:47 pm on 4 May 2022.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 2:47, 4 May 2022

I agree entirely with those sentiments. They're sentiments that other Members have made, that my colleague the Minister for Social Justice has made as well, and many other Members have made those comments within this Chamber. I think it was only yesterday that I was able to refer to the head of the Church of England referring to these proposals as being against the nature of God. I am not personally a religious person, but when the head of a major church is so moved by proposals to say that they are ungodly, it is something where a government has to sit up and take note. And it was quite ironic, actually, that when Boris Johnson was in Kyiv talking about human rights, Priti Patel was being threatened with legal action for breaches of human rights at UK level. 

Apart from that, the proposals are likely to be extremely expensive and inefficient. There was no evidence whatsoever they will deliver anything that the UK Government says that they will deliver. They are certainly contrary to the refugee convention, in particular articles 31 and 32. I am monitoring very closely the issue of legal actions that I understand are being brought to challenge the lawfulness, and, it seems to me, there is a very significant issue as to whether these proposals are in breach of international law or not. But I will monitor that very closely, and I will do all I can to support international legality.