Aspire reject Labour’s emergency motion against Tory Immigration Bill

At last week’s meeting of Tower Hamlets Full Council on Wednesday 15th March, Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s Aspire Party councillors voted against hearing an emergency motion against the Conservative Government’s vicious “Illegal Immigration Bill.”

The motion was proposed by Tower Hamlets Labour Group in response to the emerging legislation and the potential impact it could have on families in Tower Hamlets and on the borough, which is traditionally a home for refugee and migrant communities.

No member of the Aspire group voted to hear the motion.

The full text of the motion is below.

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Illegal Migration Bill
Urging Government not to pursue the cruel Illegal Migration Bill and break
international law.
Proposer: Councillor Sabina Khan
Seconder: Councillor Amina Ali

This Council Notes:

1. The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so that those who arrive in
   the UK illegally will not be able to stay here and will instead be detained
   and then promptly removed, and then ban them from returning once
   removed. Currently, asylum seekers have the right to remain in this
   country to have their claims heard.
2. Tower Hamlets council stands proudly behind the refugee convention and
   the European convention on human rights. We believe that all who seek
   asylum and refugee status deserve a fair hearing and we should not
   detain anyone without a legal process.
3. The Home Secretary’s Bill will not touch people smugglers or people
   traffickers, but it will cause serious and devastating harm to those who
   have already endured incredible suffering. 
4. Immigration lawyers and NGOs have warned the government’s strategy
   amounts to a de facto withdrawal from the 1951 UN convention on
   refugees, introduced after many countries turned away Jewish refugees
   during the second world war.
5. The UN refugee agency said that the legislation would in effect deny
   protection to many asylum seekers and prevent them from putting their
   case. “This would be a clear breach of the refugee convention and would
   undermine a longstanding, humanitarian tradition of which the British
   people are rightly proud,” said the UNHCR. The bill has been criticised
   by opposition MPs, charities, and migration experts as “unworkable”, in
   part because the UK has no viable agreements in place for the return of
   refugees to “safe” third countries.
   This Council Further notes:
6. Considering appeals, 59% of asylum applications submitted in 2017 to
   2019 inclusive are estimated to have received a grant of asylum-
   related protection by May 2021.
7. Tower Hamlets has a proud and rich history of welcoming refugees
   and asylum seekers. From the Huguenots and Ashkenazi jews fleeing
   Russia in the 17 th century to the Somali refugees fleeing civil war in
   the 1990’s.

This council believes: –

1. It’s unacceptable in the UK to imprison people without any court
   process, knowing that some of them are not only innocent of any
   crime but are fleeing persecution.
2. This bill will not stop people taking dangerous journeys, instead people
   will find even more dangerous routes to cross.
3. It is important to uphold the principles of justice and fairness, which
   are integral to a functioning democracy. Any policy or action that
   undermines these principles should be scrutinized and challenged to
   ensure that the rule of law is upheld.
   This council resolves to: –
4. We reaffirm our support for Human right granted to us under the Un
   convention of human right 1951, The universal declaration of human
   right 1948 and European convention of human rights – which provides
   that anybody in the UK is protected by due process of law and cannot be
   imprisoned without a legal process.
5. Tower Hamlet’s council Support and we will increase funding for agencies
   who provide services to asylum seekers and refugees in Tower hamlets.
6. To liaise with NHS Tower Hamlets to communicate with GP’s and primary
   care providers to shape the services to accommodate asylum seekers health
   needs.
7. Tower Hamlets children and families’ services to take account of the new
   refugees and asylum seekers and shape the services to support them. Its
   our moral duty to support the most vulnerable in our society.
8. Forward a copy of this motion to Suella Braverman Home Secretary of the
   United Kingdom express that this bill is cruel, immoral, and unworkable. – we
   urge Members of Parliament Rushanara Ali and Apsana Begum to support this motion and to raise this important issue in Parliament. Call on the Executive Mayor and the Lead Member for community safety to work with asylum seekers and Tower Hamlets stand up to racism organisation to show our solidarity.