The Refugee Ban Bill
The ‘Illegal’ Migration Bill
Latest News from Westminster
Despite the best efforts of civil society organisations, the Illegal Migration Bill (dubbed the Refugee Ban Bill) passed its final vote in the House of Commons, and will be passed into law. Members of Parliament voted to reject amendments recommended by the House of Lords, which would have mitigated the Bill’s worst effects. The Bill will dismantle the asylum system in the UK for almost everyone who needs it.
Click here to read an article from BBC News about the final vote
- House of Lords Demands 11 Amendments to the Bill– article in The Independent following the Bill’s second reading by the Lords
- Joint briefing on the Illegal Migration Bill for Commons consideration of Lords amendments– joint civil society briefing urging MPs to back the Lords’ amendments
- Illegal Migration Bill in Lords for second reading– UK Government press release
- House of Lords Constitution Committee Publishes Report– blog by UK Constitutional Law Association
- Click here for the latest news about the Bill
Latest News from Scotland
- Civil society asks: Why no legislative consent vote for Refugee Ban Bill?– a letter from Scottish civil society organisations to Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone MSP to ask for an explanation of her decision to deny the Scottish Parliament the chance to vote on legislative consent to the Bill
- Charities give evidence to Scottish Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee– watch on Scottish Parliament TV as Maryhill Integration Network, Refuweegee, Refugees for Justice and more give evidence on the Bill
- Scottish Government Debate– watch the Scottish Parliament debate the motion, put forward by Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, that the Bill is “dehumanising and immoral”
The Consortium’s Work to Stop the Bill
- The #RefugeeBanBill and Human Rights Briefing– click to read our briefing with JustRight Scotland, explaining why the Refugee Ban Bill is a human rights emergency
- Consortium Stands Against “Refugee Ban Bill”– click to read JustRight Scotland and the Scottish Refugee Council’s joint statement against the Bill, which the Consortium has signed
- House of Lords Briefing– click to read a briefing published ahead of the Bill’s second reading at the House of Lords, signed by 174 UK civil society organisations
Petitions and Campaigns
- JustRight Scotland Launches Petition– sign this petition to stop the Refugee Ban Bill
- The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants New Campaign– join the Council’s new ‘People Move, Migrants Welcome’ campaign
Other Organisations’ Reports, Blogs and Briefings
- Click to read Children and Young People’s Commissioner briefing
- Click here to read Amnesty Scotland’s briefing
- Click here to read the Scottish Refugee Council’s briefing
- Click here to read Refugee Action’s Open Letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, signed by over 320 organisations
- Click here to read ‘The Illegal Migration Bill: Constitutional Implications’ a briefing by Public Law Project, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Amnesty International, Liberty and Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
Podcasts
- JustRight Scotland Podcast Episode– click to listen to an episode of Our Rights Stories, about the Bill
This page is currently under construction; more information coming soon!