The asylum system may be broken, but let’s be clear, it was not the people crossing the Channel who broke it.

Yesterday the government’s own Home Affairs Committee published a damning report of the disturbing treatment of refugees in detention centres, the total failure to provide safe routes and the untackled backlog of asylum claims.

The report correctly states:

• The government has failed to prioritise creating safe routes for refugees to enter the UK as a real alternative to Channel crossings.
• The government must stop announcing policies that are unworkable, dangerous and sometimes illegal, without supporting evidence.
• The first priority must be to get to grips with the huge backlog of pending asylum cases, the unacceptable waits for decisions and and wholly inadequate hotel accommodation.
  
• Unaccompanied children should, clearly, not be housed in hotels. This practice has led to an unknown number of children disappearing temporarily and in some cases permanently.

This report is not perfect, but it’s a good start in recognising the government’s failures and its responsibilities.

Read the full report here.

Read Zoe Gardner from JCWI’s review of the report and why it gets it wrong on the recommendations here.