The party must reclaim the right to asylum as a Labour value says the Refugee Council

The Medical Foundation was at the Labour Party Conference to listen to policy discussions taking place on key issues affecting torture survivors. The topic of conversation in nearly all corners of the conference was dominated by the ‘deficit recovery’ aka cuts, the ‘immigration debate’, oh and the Miliband brothers. The opening day witnessed younger brother Ed Miliband becoming the new leader of the Labour Party whilst its closure was marked with the news that 49 MPs stood for the shadow government, though none included older brother David Miliband. The press, party members and frankly anyone attending the conference was waiting for, or at the very least, interested in this news – after all, how often do brothers go head to head in British politics.

Ed Miliband’s reference to his refugee parents was welcomed, as was his admission that he believed that the war in Iraq was wrong, well by some anyway, and at one fringe event many people agreed with the speak when she said that his speech was “the best speech they had heard from a Labour leader in a long time.”

Beyond news about the Miliband brothers, there was a lot more to talk about at the conference. Andy Burnham, shadow Secretary of State for Health, spoke fiercely against the cuts in health: “People with complex needs will be left without support as support means time and time means money – for the Tories that means cuts.” On David Cameron he said, “You cannot pose as a friend of the NHS one day and rip it to pieces the next…blame Nick (Clegg) if they nod on the breakup of the NHS.”

There was a lively immigration discussion including Phil Woolas, former Minister for Immigration. Whilst he was criticised by members of the audience about his ‘offensive’ election leaflet which was said to pander to the far-right, he was also told that he was wrong by Simon Woolley, Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, when he said that “Labour doesn’t like to talk about immigration.” “That’s all we talk about”, said Simon Woolley, “it’s just always so negative”.

At an event hosted by a number of organisations including the Refugee Council, Donna Covey, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council reflected on where the immigration debate lies in a modern Britain and called on the party to reclaim the right to asylum as a Labour value. MP for Streatham, Chuka Umunna, spoke about the government “adopting a policy of starving people out of the country” in reference to asylum seekers living on as little as £35 a week.

In response to a question by a member of the audience asked about the cuts in legal aid. She said that the “Tories were gunning for legal aid” and Phil Woolas referred to the “spread of claimants being thinner (across the country) which will mean that some people will be left without legal representation.”

So given all the discussion over the last few days, where will these issues sit in Labour policies under the leadership of Ed Miliband? Perhaps his reference to ‘humanity’ will make it into politics in meaningful terms; we can only but wait and see.