Joint public letter to the incoming Prime Minister July 2024

Solace has signed a joint public letter to the new prime minister. With other organisations we are calling on the new government to:

• Restore the right to seek asylum in the UK in line with international law, by repealing the Illegal Migration Act and the Nationality and Borders Act;
• Open safe routes for people seeking asylum to reach the UK so that people are not forced to risk their lives in the Channel, including providing visa routes, enabling families to reunite safely, and rebuilding refugee resettlement;
• Abandon offshore processing, including the Rwanda scheme, and ensure that people are able to have their cases processed in the UK in a fair and timely way;
• Resolve the legal aid crisis and ensure that everyone has access to good quality legal advice;
• House people seeking asylum in communities, not camps, and close down all institutional accommodation including barracks, barges, hotels and hostels which cause unnecessary lasting harm at an eye-watering cost to the taxpayer whilst community-based accommodation is available;
• Restore the right to work for people seeking asylum within six months of arrival so people can rebuild their lives in dignity and contribute £1.2 billion to the UK economy;
• Increase asylum support rates so people seeking safety are not locked into poverty and forced to choose between essentials like food and toiletries;
• End the use of immigration detention which restricts people’s freedom and liberty and causes immense harm to people’s physical and mental health;
• End the use of harmful rhetoric aimed at people seeking asylum, which contributes to a hostile environment which includes violence by far-right groups, and instead lead by example by promoting messages of compassion and welcome towards people seeking safety.

For more information and details of signatories please check out this link to the asylum matters website