In July 2023, the UK Government’s Illegal Migration Act passed into law, destroying the right to seek safety in the UK. This cruel and unworkable piece of legislation followed the 2022 Nationality and Borders Act, which allows the UK Government to criminalise and punish, rather than protect, people seeking safety.
In response, hundreds of organisations have pledged to Fight these Anti-Refugee Laws, committing to defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK.
Now, as these laws impact our communities, Local Authorities have a vital role to play in demonstrating local and regional opposition to these appalling measures and joining the fight against the anti-refugee laws.
We have created a number of resources to support you in calling on your Local Authority to stand with its communities and pledge to fight the anti-refugee laws.
The resources include:
- A guide to the resources, including tips for passing a motion and a comms checklist;
- A template motion through which Local Authorities can commit to sign the ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ pledge; call on the Government to repeal the Illegal Migration Bill and the Nationality and Borders Act; refuse to cooperate with any UK Government plans to build or repurpose facilities in to detain or warehouse people seeking safety in the Local Authority area; work with local groups and people with lived experience of the asylum system to identify ways to mitigate the impact of the anti-refugee laws; and commit to becoming a Council of Sanctuary;
- A template press release to help you spread the word if your motion passes;
- Social media assets and template posts which we can customise for your specific area.
You also find out more about the pledge and the campaign to fight the #AntiRefugeeLaws here.
You can also read about the actions communities and Local Authorities have already taken across the UK, and can also watch our webinar from October 2022 in which we discussed the resources and shared ideas, experiences and good practice in engaging with Local Authorities.
If you have any questions or feedback about these resources – or if you use them to approach your Local Authority – please let us know! You can contact us at [email protected].
