Britain’s dimmest left-wing MPs are up in arms today. No, not about the lack of cash announced in the Defence Investment Plan. Nor about Ofgem raising the energy price cap by 13 per cent come July. Instead, these esteemed parliamentarians are furious that Shabana Mahmood wants so-called ‘refugees’ to repay £10,000 to the state for covering their living costs. Those who come to Britain under Labour’s new capped ‘safe and legal route’ and refuse to hand over the money once they begin earning will be denied permanent residency in the UK.
The policy, announced yesterday and set to be means-tested, has sparked the inevitable uproar. Labour MP Kim Johnson fumed: ‘This is a tax on refugees. It’s performative cruelty. We shouldn’t be punishing people for fleeing war and persecution. The relentless demonisation of refugees must stop.’
Green leader Zack Polanski duly chimed in: ‘This is a Refugee Tax. It was originally proposed by the Tories, and the only reason asylum seekers could be claimed to ‘owe’ any money is because they are banned from working. Another cruel Labour policy that must be reversed on day one by Andy Burnham.’
Adding her dulcet tones to the chorus, Diane Abbott declared: ‘This a just a tax on refugees. Imagine applying to the Kindertransport children fleeing Nazi Germany, and withholding refugee status they are entitled to. Still chasing Farage down a dead end.’
In a shock to literally no one, the usual suspects in the charity sector are also having a meltdown. Imran Hussein, External Affairs Director at the Refugee Council, whinged that the policy would make it ‘harder for families to rebuild their lives and stand on their own feet’. Zoe Dexter, Housing and Welfare Manager at the Helen Bamber Foundation, complained that ‘this proposal is simply more performative cruelty from the government’.
Dear me. It seems the refugee lobby has mistaken a repayment plan for a moral catastrophe. Then again, for this lot, even a means test is beyond their means.
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