Human rights challenge to asylum-seeker laws

According to the rules, which came into force yesterday, immigrants must apply for asylum “as soon as reasonably possible” after they arrive in Britain or they will have benefits withdrawn and be unable to apply for extra help. The government said the move is necessary to cut down the number of “in-country” applicants – those who come through customs unnoticed and claim asylum at a later date.

But human rights group Liberty is to challenge this under the Human Rights Act. As soon as the first case emerges, it intends to take on the case on behalf of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and other refugee groups.

Imran Hussein, parliamentary officer of the Refugee Council, said 20,105 of the 31,025 successful asylum applications received in 2001 were in-country. He said this showed the government’s assertion that the laws would crack down on false applications made no sense.

Homelessness charity Shelter warned that asylum seekers could be forced onto the streets, undermining the government’s own drive to tackle rough sleeping and social exclusion.

A Home Office spokesman said: “This is part of a package of measures to tackle widespread abuse of the system and we will defend it.”