Michael Howard proposes limiting the number of residence permits issued to people entering the country in search of political asylum. Moreover, they would have to apply for these before arriving.
This approach is opposed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, whose representative Peter Kessler believes that in this way Britain will send a 'wrong signal to its European neighbours. 'In particular, this concerns Eastern European countries through which many refugees pass, and African countries, which have the most refugees in the world,' says Peter Kessler. 'If these countries see that Britain is trying to limit the number of refugees entering the country, they will do the same, and this will most likely lead to the deaths of thousands of people,' the UN representative is sure.
To introduce quotas, London would have to withdraw from the 1951 Geneva Convention, which obliges countries to be guided by the needs of refugees rather than their numbers. But the convention had to be adopted at the time partly precisely because during World War II Britain itself did not admit many people – above all Jews – fleeing the Nazi regime in Germany.
Michael Howard's father was forced to leave Romania in 1939. This fact, according to BBC commentator Norman Stitt, gives the Conservative leader a moral advantage in discussing this issue. 'It is easier for him to raise the issue of asylum because his ancestors fled Nazi persecution,' says Norman Stitt. In his opinion, by promising to reduce the influx of foreigners, the Conservatives are seeking to win over voters. But is this really what the public wants?
'If you ask people whether too many immigrants are being let into the country, a significant majority will say yes, because they see on television young people from distant countries trying to get across the English Channel by hiding under train carriages or in car trailers – that is, an impression is created of an uncontrollable stream of foreigners rushing into England,' says Nick Sparrow, head of the ICM polling firm. But at the same time, the sociologist adds, if the question is phrased differently – whether the country should attract people in professions where there is a shortage, or whether Britain should continue to provide asylum to people who fear for their lives – the answer would also be positive.
Given the ambiguous attitude in society towards newcomers, the Tories are focusing on the fight against human smuggling, on which criminal groups make a lot of money.
In turn, Prime Minister Tony Blair promised that the government would publish practical and feasible measures to combat abuses in the field of immigration that guarantee that those who need asylum and those whom the British economy needs will be able to live in the country.