Our response to the Nationality & Borders Bill becoming law

Responding to the news that the Nationality & Borders Bill has passed and will become law, Beth Gardiner-Smith, CEO of Safe Passage International said:

“For men, women and children who have fled their homes, it is devastating that this Government’s cruel plans will become reality. Refugees who have escaped war and persecution, like Afghans feeling Taliban, will be denied safety and sanctuary.

As people open their homes to those fleeing the war in Ukraine, it’s disgraceful that the Government is slamming the door shut on refugees with this Bill.

This Bill won’t work. It won’t help refugees, it won't break the business model of smugglers and it won't prevent dangerous Channel crossings. What’s needed most is what’s missing from the Bill entirely: safe routes for those who need it. Until the Government opens safe routes, people will continue to risk their lives crossing the Channel in flimsy dinghies to reach safety and family here.

As this Bill becomes law, we won’t stop demanding that the Government welcomes those seeking safety in the UK, opens safe routes for refugees and reunites families.”