(3 Minutes Read)
The electoral motto of the Labour Party that won the July 4 UK parliamentary elections was short and simple- “Change.” Within hours of taking charge, the new Prime Minister Starmer declared that ‘the work of change begins, immediately’.
The return of the Labour Party to power after a long gap of fourteen years was more or less expected. It was a manifestation of the deep frustration of the people of the UK about the political and economic chaos in the country. The British economy is afflicted by many ailments. Low growth, soaring prices, and increasing immigration are only some of them. Restoring the economic stability of the country was declared as the topmost priority of the new government. Judging by the radical announcements made by the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, it shows no hesitation in changing or rolling back some of the policies of the earlier Conservative government. At his first news conference, Starmer scrapped the contentious scheme of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda. A lot of money and effort had gone into the deal.
The UK Parliament, despite the UK Supreme Court’s adverse ruling, had approved a law in April this year to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda for asylum processing. According to reports, the UK government allocated USD 470 million to Rwanda for parking the asylum seekers in Rwanda. The former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had defended the scheme, as the most pragmatic solution to stop illegal migrants from mainland Europe. However, the move was denounced by Human rights activists across the globe as unethical, given the human rights record of Rwanda. It allegedly violated the migrant’s rights enshrined in international refugee conventions. Faced with the national and international furore over the Rwanda deal, the former UK government approached Botswana with a similar proposal. However, Botswana declined to host the migrants deported from the UK.
Now that the deal has been scrapped by the Labour government, some alternative options have to be explored. To control illegal immigration, the Labour government plans to tighten border security rather than conduct forced transfers of migrants. Political experts are skeptical about this approach. The UK government they feel, must explore more viable solutions to the problem and strike a balance between national security and humanitarian concerns.
Migration from poor countries to richer countries has been a complex and sensitive issue for ages. It is one of the burning issues for the British and the EU at large and calls for a more unified approach. A significant percentage of these immigrants are Africans who are trying to flee violence, war, poverty, and environmental disasters at home. There is no quick-fix solution to the issue. A combination of progressive and pragmatic approaches is the answer.
A global problem like this has to be handled by evolving a joint strategy through consultations between countries of origin and destinations. Given the demographic decline of Europe and the rising need for human resources, immigrants can play a vital role. However, the issue is the lack of an adequate orderly, and controlled immigration policy. Creating systematic and controlled arrival and integration programs will address the concerns of both sides. Immigration experts advocate receiving and assessing individual asylum applications domestically rather than outsourcing them. Only then, they feel, a fair deal for asylum seekers will be ensured, regardless of how they arrive.
However, a lasting solution to the problem can be achieved only through a long-term strategy. To stop unwanted migration, the best way will be to promote democratic and economic stabilization and development of the origin countries. The EU and the U K must divert economic resources for the development of Africa, creating sources of employment in those countries of origin. Fiscal incentives may be offered to Companies to encourage investment in the continent. Such a move will open new markets for European products and services and vice versa. Only addressing these root causes of immigration will deter immigrants from taking up the risky journey to escape poverty.
