When the Tories were in power, one of the harshest critics of the government’s Rwanda scheme to deport asylum seekers were the Refugee Council, who branded the plan, among other things, as ‘absurd and inhumane’ and ‘slam[ming] our door in the face of refugees in search of safety.’
Mr S was therefore curious to know what solutions to the asylum crisis would be proposed by the charity, at its event entitled ‘After Rwanda: Building an Asylum System That Has Public Support’, taking place at Labour conference this afternoon.
Due to speak at the event was Home Office minister Angela Eagle, who would perhaps have been able to explain why Keir Starmer’s rumoured interest in sending asylum seekers to Albania to be processed is so much more palatable than the now scrapped Rwanda plan.
Unfortunately, readers may never find out what the minister thinks, not least because Refugee Council appears to have a far tougher border policy when it comes to its own events.
After only being given a room that could accommodate 35 people, the charity was forced to turn away those massed outside, with people not allowed to stand or sit at the back either. Eventually, even the door to the event was closed, to prevent the people mingling outside the room from listening in and causing a fire hazard.
Media outlets, including The Spectator, were prevented from recording the event, at the request of the panel members.
So much for openness and inclusivity…
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