What’s next on family reunion

Yesterday, MPs voted to scrap legal protections for child refugees. Despite our victory in the House of Lords, it wasn’t enough to stop this government risking children’s lives with its reckless decision.

Family reunion isn’t ending with Brexit on 31 January – it will continue until at least the end of the transition period on 31 December, and any applications in the system by then should be processed. After that, the government still maintains it wants it to continue. But we will have to keep them to their promise.

While losing the vote was obviously a disappointment, thanks to the amazing effort by the Safe Passage community and others, the Government only won the vote yesterday by promising it will do everything it can to keep refugee family reunion open after Brexit.

Our campaign over the last few weeks made a difference. At the final vote amongst MPs on the amendment, we saw the Government’s previous majority reduced by six as more MPs were won round to our side. For the first time on this bill the DUP voted for our amendment in the Commons. Furthermore, many Conservative MPs are now on the record supporting the right for family reunion.

This was only achieved due to the amazing work of all the Safe Passage community. In just the last few weeks, our campaign:

• Wrote over 20,000 letters to MPs;

• Added over 210,000 signatures to our petition to keep legal protection for child refugees;

• And organised a 500-person demonstration outside Parliament with cross-party support.

Photo courtesy of Andy Aitchison. Instagram: @AndyAitchison.uk. Twitter: @andyaitchison Facebook: @AndyAitchisonPhotographer

Make no mistake about it, the Government has made promises to protect family reunion for child refugees due in large part to the work of the Safe Passage community.

It’s now up to us to make sure that these promises are kept and that and the Government doesn’t backtrack. Ministers have indicated they will bring forward legal protections in an Immigration Bill later this year, and we will be holding them to this commitment. We will be watching very closely to make sure that the right to reunite with family isn’t quietly watered down by this Government. 

Last night, government ministers made a last-minute assurance right before the final vote – committing to let child refugees reunite with grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles rather than restricting to just parents as we feared they might. Many of the children we support have lost their parents, but they have other family members living in the UK who are ready to care for them. It is illogical that these children be denied safe passage to the UK, left with no other choice but to consider smuggling just to reach their loved ones, or to grow up alone without the care of their family many surviving in camps and car parks across Europe.

So, the fight doesn’t stop here. Over the next ten months, it’s up to us to hold the Government to its word and that in the new legislation that the Government has promised, the rights of refugee families aren’t watered down. We have the chance to save family reunion and make sure refugee children have safe and legal routes to protection after Brexit.

The Government must keep its word to unaccompanied children, to Parliament and to people across the country who believe that Britain should do its bit to help refugees reunite with family here in Britain.