Home secretary Suella Braverman has described desperate people trying to cross the Channel in small boats in search of refuge from war, oppression and climate change as “criminals” and “invaders”.
Braverman refused to moderate her language against asylum seekers even when Holocaust survivor Joan Slater told her, only days before this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day: “When I hear you using words against refugees like ‘swarms’ and an ‘invasion’ I am reminded of language used to dehumanise and justify the murder of my family and millions of others.”
Braverman then put asylum seekers on the floating quasi-prison that is Bibby Stockholm, despite condemnation from the Fire Brigade Union over fears for safety.
Recently, six people drowned trying to cross the Channel to the UK.
Commenting on the tragedy, Braverman said: “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life in the Channel today.”
Given her well-documented hostility against asylum seekers, Braverman’s hypocrisy is stomach-turning.
The deaths in the Channel are the inevitable result of her policies against non-European refugees.
In my opinion, Braverman has blood on her hands and she is unfit for ministerial office.
Sasha Simic
London
No compassion and no ideas
While the government has labelled it as “illegal immigration” what it is in effect is desperate people taking desperate measures to live a better life. Britain’s problem is that our government has lost control of the situation and the draconian measures it is taking simply do not fit the purpose of stopping people coming to this country.
If only there were a magic wand to prevent the wars, deprivation, hunger, and brutal regimes that galvanise thousands of people to up-sticks and travel miles to a better country. But there isn’t. We have to accept that Britain is a beacon of hope for those looking to find a new, welcoming home.
What has got to change is the incompetence that has caused this situation to evolve, maturing into the disgrace it has become. It is obvious Britain cannot continue to accept, unregulated, thousands of people every year. But what is the government doing to quell the influx of these immigrants? Not very much is the answer and what they are doing is completely out of kilter with the British people.
Rishi Sunak and his home secretary have never had the control, ideas, or compassion to end this overload on the resources Britain has to offer. Instead, they have spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer money on failed systems and fairytales.
As there is no effective, compassionate, or agreed system in place and nothing on the horizon then it seems many more people will die trying to enter Britain, and those that do will be treated inhumanely.
This topic, along with the economy, NHS, climate change and so much more that is under stress, will be put under the spotlight at the next election. Let’s see what the parties have to say in 2024!
Keith Poole
Basingstoke
Get landlords under control
The situation facing tenants in the private sector is now so bad that drastic action has to be taken. Landlords who allow their tenants to live in squalid and dangerous conditions at high rents and who are able to turn those tenants onto the street without explanation or reason have to be penalised effectively.
I believe the only way to do this and improve the country’s housing stock is to enact legislation that enables local authorities to issue notices to landlords whose properties do not meet basic conditions of habitation. They should legally oblige them no more than six months to put right all failings detailed within that notice. If they fail to do so within that time the local authority ought to have the power to take possession of the property without any form of compensation being paid.
In addition, any property left empty for more than three years should also be taken into local authority control without compensation to the owner. All properties acquired in this way would be reclassified as social housing and used to increase the nation’s housing stock. “Right to Buy” should be suspended for at least five years to enable the stock of social housing to recover from its parlous state and only reactivated on a “one in one out” basis once a set level of stock has been achieved nationwide (4 million).
Unless drastic action is taken to get landlords under control, we will continue to see people living in conditions that endanger life and cause shame to our country.
Geoff Penn
Norfolk
Price of pollution
I read recently the praise for Wizz Air opening routes to the Sphinx airport, bringing in “welcome low fares” with a sinking feeling. We are going to the French Alps soon by train, which is considerably more expensive (especially the Eurostar bit) compared to flying.
We are lucky to be able to afford to follow our consciences, but most simply have no choice but to take the cheaper, more polluting plane. I remember when train travel (oh those heady inter-rail days!) was cheaper than air travel and, until it is again, I despair that we will never turn the tide on our careless destruction of our beautiful planet.
Eleanor Holloway
Ascot
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