UK Government asylum plans are ‘chaotic soundbites’ says Scottish Tory Findlay

Plans to reform the asylum system have been dismissed as “chaotic soundbites” by the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is due to announce the changes in the Commons on Monday, which will make asylum granted in the UK temporary, so a person can be returned to their home country if it is deemed to be safe, with the time limit for permanent settlement extended to 20 years.

The Government is also expected to create safe and legal routes for asylum seekers in a bid to stop Channel crossings on small boats.

But speaking to the PA news agency on Monday, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said people in the UK “won’t fall for it for one minute”, as he urged the Home Secretary to meet with his party’s UK leader, Kemi Badenoch.

“This just sounds like the Home Secretary coming up with some chaotic soundbites just to pacify the people of this country, who won’t fall for it for one minute,” he said.

“Already her plans are falling apart.

“You’ve got Labour backbenchers, and even ministers, questioning whether they would even support this thing, saying they don’t support it, they oppose it.

“It’s absolute chaos.”

The UK Government has “failed” to stop the small boat crossings and “smash the gangs”, Mr Findlay said, but they have not come up with any “credible means to do so”.

He added: “We’ve put forward a proposal for UK to leave the ECHR, we’ve identified that is the only credible way that you can deter people from coming into this country, because that is the only credible way you can deter people from coming into this country, because you give the courts the right to remove people who have arrived here illegally.

“If Labour were serious about doing this, then Kemi Badenoch has already indicated that she’d quite happily sit down with them and have a proper conversation about how we fix this problem.”

The UK Government has been contacted for comment.