It was reported on the BBC on Monday 4 November that in a speech that day to the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow, which had brought together senior police and ministers from nearly 200 member countries, the Prime Minister had claimed that it was his “personal mission to smash the people-smuggling gangs”.
Starmer was reported as going on to say:
“We are going to treat people smugglers like terrorists – we are taking our approach to counter terrorism, which we know works, and applying it to the gangs. We have got to combine resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream, working together to shut down the smuggling routes.”
How should we respond to this language from Starmer?
Well, the first thing that strikes me, is that again, Starmer like so many other politicians in recent years seems still to be seeing the arrival of often desperate and traumatised asylum seekers on our shores, simply as a problem. There seemed to be no mention of the contributions to society that those seeking asylum have made in the past – and could do in the future.
Is it really too much to ask the Prime Minister to recognise that asylum seekers are fellow human beings? There seemed to be no recognition in the words that Starmer used of the individual tragedies that often lie in the personal stories of those who come here whether on small boats or by other means.
Similarly, there seemed to be no effort made by Starmer to remind listeners that it is absolutely not illegal to claim asylum in the UK, as we are still fully signed up members of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. As a former human rights lawyer, he must know that, just as he must also be aware that Article 14 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”
Has Starmer brought a real change in policy?
Starmer seems to be acting in a very macho way and trying to outdo the Tories in his language about people smuggling. Yet, this was never an issue when there were safe routes. Their reintroduction would do more than all the posturing in the world to bring down the grim death toll of those drowned in the English Channel. Meanwhile the development of a fair and transparent and efficient asylum system, instead of the shambles we have at present, would go a long way to that reassuring the public that the correct measures are being taken and so help to ensure that they are not as angry about the issue on the first place. It is still to be hoped that Labour will deliver this.
Perhaps most of all there is a need for a toning down of the apocalyptic language used by politicians about asylum, especially if we do not wish to see a repeat of the terrible riots we saw last summer. As those riots were an early and major headache for Starmer in his premiership is all the more puzzling and concerning that he used the language which he did in his speech in Glasgow.
Following this we really could do with an honest debate in this country about asylum and yet the great irony is of course that the very people who often shout loudest for such a debate are the same right-wing politicians and media outlets that make it impossible for just such a debate to take place. They deliberately make seeking asylum a polarising issue and when this happens it makes it very difficult for there to be a reasonable and mature debate.
Why is asylum seeking framed as such a polarising issue?
Of course they do this for their own ends, not for the benefit of the British people or anybody else. I remember being told 20 years by an experienced journalist, how one particular right-wing title among the mainstream media had been taken over by new owners. The newspaper had been losing money for some time and so the new owners tried out a few different headlines and lead stories, to see which would help to sell the most copy.
The three most popular headlines and lead stories were about tax rises, house prices coming down and often very misleading and one-sided stories about asylum seekers. The sad truth is that the right-wing media long ago found that stirring up anger sold more copy, or as we would say now, is good clickbait. Consequently, a lot of the right-wing media coverage of asylum is simply for commercial reasons. Similarly, right-wing politicians have for many years found that doing the same can guarantee a certain level of support, whilst having the added benefit, in their eyes, of also distracting attention away from some of their other activities.
It is therefore a concern to see Starmer seeming to go down the same road, even if he is seeking to place the blame on smuggling gangs rather than the asylum seekers themselves.
What else could the government do?
Instead of simply engaging in actions around stopping the smuggling gangs, the Starmer government could enact some simple policies, which could both reassure the public and also be a lot kinder to asylum seekers.
Firstly, as mentioned above the asylum system needs to be made fairer, more efficient and more transparent. This would be of benefit to the general public and of course to the asylum seekers themselves.
Secondly, there has long been a need for people in areas where asylum seekers are going to be housed to be given reliable information about who is coming there and why. This has never been forthcoming from a government going back to at least the last Labour government’s dispersal scheme in the 2000s. Yet surely people have a right to know what is happening in their area and the lack of any reliable information creates a gap for the conspiracy theorists and racists to come in and fill. It is important to treat all people with respect and it is true of course that asylum seekers are often housed in the most deprived areas to save money and in areas where the people who live there, are already treated in a disrespectful manner in a multitude of ways. Reliable and accurate information and respect could a long way to easing tensions.
Additionally, the government must look at the ludicrous rule that states that asylum seekers cannot work. Many have skills that we are crying out for and at the very least asylum seekers must be given more chances to contribute to and be part of society. It has always seemed obvious why they are not allowed to work, because that would provide them with some dignity and would encourage the general public to view them differently. It is worth remembering how many campaigns there have been in the North East to stop deportations of asylum seekers , led by local people who have got to know the asylum seekers in question. It will be highly regrettable if the Labour government does not change the rules, rules which are there to dehumanise the asylum seeker.
There is therefore a need for both asylum seekers and those people who already live here to be treated better. Human rights belong to all of us, whether it be an asylum seeker from Africa or a pensioner from Tyneside and human rights should not be used to divide us but to bring us together, in remembrance and celebration of our common humanity. Surely, we can all learn from each other, we can all respect each other and we can all value each other.
When Starmer was elected, he optimistically said that there would now be change. However, he seems to be copying the same failed policy and using the same kind of language that the Tories used, while risking both more social unrest and more unnecessary and tragic deaths in the English Channel. Changing the tone of the language he uses around this particular issue might be a good start to bringing about real change.
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