Building a Fair Asylum System

Submitted by: 12 members 

Conference notes:

1. The August 2025 surge in protests over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, which according to a senior police chief have placed police forces under 'chronic pressure'.
2. The rhetoric of Reform and the Conservatives, such as:
   1. Repeated calls for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
   2. Nigel Farage’s proposal, on 26th August, to deport people who have fled the Taliban to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
3. Shabana Mahmood’s appointment as Home Secretary on 5th September, reportedly to take a more “uncompromising” stance on immigration.

Conference further notes with disappointment that the Labour Government has responded to this rhetoric with counterproductive policies like immediate suspension of family reunion pathways and reducing the move-on period for new refugees rather than properly challenging Reform and the Conservatives.

Conference believes:

1. All asylum seekers must be treated with dignity and respect, and the UK must uphold a fair, compassionate and efficient asylum system - not one built on delay and distrust.
2. The Conservatives trashed the asylum system, triggering spiralling backlogs and the costly legacy of asylum hotels, while Labour has so far failed to get a grip on the crisis.
3. The ECHR is a largely British creation that underpins our fundamental rights and freedoms, and must be upheld.
4. The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of a liberal democracy which must be protected, but no one has the right to intimidate or incite fear.

Conference accordingly calls on the UK Government to reject the division offered by Reform and the Conservatives and instead:

1. End the use of asylum hotels by speeding up application processing so thousands aren’t stuck in limbo and those with valid claims can work, integrate and contribute, while those without a right to remain can be returned swiftly.
2. Lift the ban on employment for asylum seekers who’ve waited over three months for a decision.
3. Immediately restore family reunification pathways for refugees.
4. Increase cross-border cooperation, including through a leadership role for the UK in Europol, to tackle criminal gangs and stop dangerous Channel crossings at their source.
5. Publicly and unequivocally reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the ECHR - and reject any attempt to undermine the legal protections it provides.

Applicability: Federal