What steps will you take to defend the right to seek asylum in the UK and build a fair and compassionate asylum system?

I will be fighting for a fair and effective immigration system that treats everyone with dignity and respect. The Liberal Democrats would scrap the Conservatives’ Illegal Migration Act and their Rwanda scheme, uphold the Refugee Convention, and provide safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees, helping to prevent dangerous Channel crossings.

We would tackle the asylum backlog by establishing a dedicated unit to improve the speed and quality of asylum decision-making, introducing a service standard of three months for all but the most complex asylum claims to be processed, and speeding up returns of those without a right to stay.

Will you support giving the right to work for people seeking asylum?
Yes. Over the past few years I have been privileged to meet many refugees, including last summer’s welcome event hosted by the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for refugees. The people I met were talented people who wanted to work hard. It is shameful that we are not enabling them to work and contribute to our society, particularly when we have such labour shortages. We should lift the ban on asylum seekers working if they have been waiting for a decision for more than three months, enabling them to support themselves, integrate in our communities and contribute to the economy.

What will you do to ensure people seeking asylum are able to live in safe, dignified accommodation in our communities?
Due to the chronic shortage of social housing, many refugees have been housed in unsuitable and squalid hotels, and other forms of emergency accommodation. There have been worrying reports of children going missing. In 2012 The Liberal Democrats ended the previous Labour Government’s practice of detaining children for immigration purposes. Shamefully, our Conservative government has decided that their anti-refugee rhetoric is more important than safeguarding children from exploitation. The UK and Welsh governments must invest in safe accommodation for refugees, whether that be more social housing or in conjunction with third sector providers such as Barnardos.

How do you feel about the system of Detention without time limits?

The Liberal Democrats have a long history of blocking or campaigning against detention without charge. For instance, in 2005 Liberal Democrat MPs voted down Tony Blair’s proposal to allow police to hold suspects for 90 days without charge. Detention without charge should be an absolute last resort, capped at 28 days.  

Please do read the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto here for further information.