Legatum Institute report says UK needs a refugee policy that is principled, pragmatic and effective

A thought-provoking new report by some notable authors was published last week by the Legatum Institute calling for the development of a British refugee policy that is principled, pragmatic, and effective.

The 24-page report can be downloaded here. It was jointly authored by Baroness Philippa Stroud, CEO of the Legatum Institute and House of Lords peer, Professor Alexander Betts, director of the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, and Will Somerville, UK director of Unbound Philanthropy.

The authors argue that amid the growing politicisation of asylum, especially in relation to small-boat Channel crossings, Britain needs a long-term and sustainable vision for responding to one of the defining issues of our time.

As the Legatum Institute explains, the report aims to serve as a framework for public debate by 1) articulating the challenges and narrating them in accessible language, 2) identifying realistic, workable solutions that balance principle and pragmatism, and 3) stimulating informed public debate that transcends party politics.

Alexander Betts said: "Refugee movements are a major global challenge, and yet the UK has never had a clearly defined national refugee policy. As co-authors, we've worked collaboratively across traditional divides to propose the elements of a unifying strategy that can be principled, pragmatic, and effective."

Key points from the report include:

• The purpose of UK refugee policy should be to ensure that people forced to flee war and persecution can access a fair hearing, safety, dignity, and opportunity.
• The UK should lead on global refugee policy by engaging multilaterally and working cooperatively with partner countries to protect refugees around the world.
• The UK needs to ensure that there is a safe, fair, and orderly way for people fleeing war and persecution to reach our shores.
• The UK needs a coherent whole-of-government approach to deliver effective refugee integration.
• The UK needs to reform the governance of refugee policy to improve coherence, accountability, and culture across government.

The report says that key aspects of the government's existing approach to asylum are inadequate, noting: "Although Britain has created a series of innovative refugee policy responses, some policies have divided opinion, provoking criticism for failing to deliver workable long-terms solutions that reconcile security and human rights. The Government's resort to an expensive and ineffective plan to remove people seeking asylum to Rwanda reflects the political imperative to 'take back control', reducing human smuggling and prevent deaths in the English Channel. But it also highlights the inadequacy of current thinking on how the country responds to refugees."

With regard to Channel boat crossings, the report argues that orderly, fair, and competent solutions can be found. The authors offer practical suggestions, including for a preliminary assessment system which would ensure people with family connections are fast-tracked and safely transferred to the UK, while those who have made an asylum claim in France are dealt with in the French system. Joint British/French assessment centres could provide rapid, good quality assessments of people's asylum claims.

Baroness Stroud commented: "If all claims were processed at joint processing centres before people arrived in Calais, we would significantly undermine the people-smuggler's business. Diplomacy is the key to a comprehensive national refugee strategy."

The policy of removing asylum seekers to Rwanda is likely to be "ineffective, costly, and risks weakening the global system for managing asylum claims," the authors warn.

For tackling the growing backlog of asylum cases, the authors suggest learning from earlier efforts, including the Case Resolution Directorate (CRD) which was set up in 2006 to process a backlog of around 500,000 unresolved cases.

"Establishing a dedicated backlog clearance team and undertaking a rapid one-off (or timebound) group-based assessment for nationalities for whom refugee recognition rates are high would take immediate pressure off the asylum system, reducing costs, and enabling rapid and efficient decision-making to resume," the report recommends.

As many others have done, the authors call for people seeking asylum to be given the right to work after six months. There should also be no limitations on the type of work asylum seekers can do.

The report says improved governance is needed, including at the Home Office: "There is a need for culture change within the Home Office in relation to the management of asylum and immigration. The Wendy Williams Windrush inquiry revealed the distorting effects on Home Office culture created since the early 2000s by attempts to introduce a 'hostile environment' to the UK. She highlighted the greater need for the Home Office to adopt a culture capable of seeing the 'face behind the case'. Similarly, The Home Office's early handling of the Ukraine response, both in terms of visa access and 'Homes for Ukraine' led to public criticism, although improvements in the scheme showed that, at its best, the Home Office has the potential to be effective."

There are plenty more suggestions and calls for change throughout the report. Enver Solomon said: "This paper sets out concrete ideas for ministers and others to explore, not least through the creation of a National Refugee Strategy which would both signal our intent to be part of the solution to what is an increasing global problem and underline our historic commitment to be there for those fleeing war, persecution and conflict. We also make important proposals which would allow people seeking asylum to work while in the UK, both providing them with better support and also the opportunity to contribute to society in a very meaningful way."