What will Brexit mean for refugees?

Freedom from Torture is one of 13 organisations working with refugees urging the government to stand by core principles to protect refugees, in the wake of the UK vote to leave the European Union.

The letter was published in The Times on 27 June 2016. It reads as follows:

Sir, Now the UK has voted for Brexit we need a national discussion on immigration that is humane and honest, not based on fear or misinformation. The government has said it will publish a new UK asylum strategy. We believe it should stand for three core principles. First, help more refugees find safety in the UK without having to risk their lives in the hands of people smugglers. Second, restore trust in the asylum system so all get a fair hearing and access the protection they need. Third, support refugees to rebuild their lives, without fear of return to a place where their lives are at risk.

Previous British leaders helped to establish the international laws protecting people fleeing violence and persecution. Unravelling those protections for the world’s most vulnerable would be a travesty.

Maurice Wren, CEO, British Refugee Council; Laurie Lee, CEO, CARE International UK; Tess Berry-Hart, director, Calais Action; Kate Allen, director, Amnesty International UK; Loretta Minghella, chief executive, Christian Aid; John Wilkes, chief executive, Scottish Refugee Council; Girish Menon, chief executive, Action Aid UK; Chris Bain, director, CAFOD; Jane Waterman, executive director, International Rescue Committee UK; Leigh Daynes, executive director, Doctors of the World UK; Stephen Hale, chief executive, Refugee Action; Susan Munroe, CEO, Freedom from Torture; Sarah Teather, director, Jesuit Refugee Service UK