UCU condemns Suella Braverman's speech

In her latest attack on marginalised communities, the Home Secretary has sought to create further division and hostility by claiming that the time has come to get rid of the United Nations Refugee Convention - a speech that echoes Enoch Powell's infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech.

The Home Secretary omitted from her racist, sexist, ableist and homophobic speech the fact that 13 years of Conservative-led government have seen rights cruelly stripped away from men, women, non-binary people and children seeking safe refuge and protection, by the removal of safe routes to asylum.  This has directly led to increased exploitation including human trafficking, sexual exploitation and violence, in particular toward women and girls, as has the continued failure to address the backlog on processing asylum claims quickly and fairly. We only need to look at how legal British citizens were treated and still continue to be treated under the failed Windrush compensation scheme to know how Tory governments regard migrants in the UK.  

In a clear attack against those being persecuted, the Home Secretary seeks to garner support for her government's 'Illegal Migration Act' and demonise those trying to escape persecution, instead of going after those seeking to exploit individuals and families seeking safety from war, victimisation and threats to their lives and that of their families.

UCU reaffirms that no one is illegal and that calls on this government to end the hostile environment for all migrants.