Lifejackets that have been used by refugees to cross the sea to Europe are laid out in Parliament Square on 19 September 2016 in London, England. NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.
As Britain heads into negotiations with its European counterparts many issues will be on the table. In the public discussion, at least, two of these have been key: access to the single market and freedom of movement between EU member states and the UK. But while immigration is a crucial issue, the question of how access to asylum will change following Brexit remains under-discussed. This is odd, given how effectively the Leave campaign use the ‘refugee crisis’ in 2015 to argue for stricter border controls and – ultimately – for a British exit from the European Union. If asylum seekers are part of the issue that has led the UK to leave, what will the UK now do in relation to asylum policy?
The British government has a long history of seeking to restrict access to the right to asylum in Britain. This is evidenced by their treatment of asylum seekers arriving over the border from Calais, as well as by the detention centres they operate for asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected. Now that Article 50 has been triggered, will the UK government continue with this approach, or will it change tack to become more or less restrictive? Will Brexit affect the UK’s (already weak) commitment to the Geneva Conventions on the Status of Refugees?
