Ever wondered how party policy is made? I was on the “Immigration, Asylum and Identity” Policy Working Group, and the process has taken a whole year. Living in the north east, I daren’t begin to add up the cost of the fares, and food on the move, for meetings every 10 days on an evening in London, but it was an opportunity to get some good and Liberal policies for the Party for those asylum seekers who seek sanctuary in the UK.
Between March and summer was spent on taking evidence, and formulating questions for the consultation session at the September Conference. I looked at every piece of evidence relating to asylum issues, and did a mammoth cutting and pasting on them. Then for the actual putting the policy together, right up to the week before Christmas. After Federal Policy Committee in January “Making Migration Work for Britain” was published, ready for conference. I was pleased that there was a good debate, with interventions.
I didn’t agree with the wording of everything, either in the policy paper or motion, but I was given the chance to put the case to the rest of the working group, and was listened to. Asylum is just one of eight sections in the paper, and it probably took up more than 1/8th of the time. I must thank Andrew Stunell who chaired and steered us so well, it must have been the most difficult policy paper for a long time, with the current climate over immigration issues. His office, Policy Unit, and other members of the working group are to thank too. Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary were brilliant, giving me lots of much needed moral support, and feeding ideas and views, as well as facts and information. Most of all thanks to my husband, who was not only happy to support me, but picked me up at Darlington station at midnight each time, too!
Here is a flavour of some of the policies now agreed :
An end to the disgraceful, and expensive, practice of Indefinite Detention for immigration purposes.
An end to the inappropriate use of the notorious “Detained Fast Track” process.
The end to child detention to be put into legislation.
‘Getting it right first time’, on decision making.
Re-establish the 6 month decision-making target for asylum claims.
Better training for Home Office staff who deal directly with more vulnerable groups.
Better interpretation and translation services to be available at each stage of the process.
Accurate, up-to-date understanding of relevant Country of Origin Information must be provided to decision makers to stop removals to unsafe countries.
All working-age asylum seekers to be required to look for work if their case has not been resolved within 6 months. Current restrictions on which occupations asylum seekers can work in to be lifted.
Abolish the Azure Card and Section 4 and provide all asylum support under Section 95 which will be uprated in the same way as other benefits. End-to-end support will end destitution.
Outsourced contracts for the delivery of enforcement and asylum services (including housing) must be monitored more effectively, with more accountability and transparency in their work.
Deportation, transportation and the accountability of enforcement functions to be transferred to the public sector as soon as the current contracts permit.
LD4SOS are inspired by, and continue to be, driven by the experiences of those we know and know of who had been, or still are, seeking sanctuary in the UK. They deserve and must be treated with humanity, compassion and respect.
The work put into this is a tribute to those brave and dignified seekers of sanctuary. What we need to do now is to make sure they get into the manifesto, and we get enough good MPs elected to get these policies on the statute book.
* Suzanne Fletcher was a councillor for nearly 30 years and a voluntary advice worker with the CAB for 40 years. Now retired, she is active as a campaigner in the community both as a Lib Dem and with local organisations. She is Liberal Democrat Seekers of Sanctuary's parliamentary and external relations officer.