In response to Prime Minister Tony Blair’s speech on asylum and immigration today Maeve Sherlock, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council said:

“We welcome the pledge by the Prime Minister not to play politics with the issue of asylum and immigration.

“The asylum debate has been plagued with myths and misinformation throughout this election period. We recognise the importance of talking about these issues but it needs to be on the basis of fact, not myth. The best way to address the concerns people have about these issues is to give them the real facts on asylum and put a stop to the often insidious untruths that are peddled about asylum seekers and refugees.

“We urge all parties to tackle the misconceptions about asylum seekers and highlight the significant contribution made by refugees to this country. Refugees are ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances and we know that many in Britain believe we should be doing our best to help them when they are vulnerable rather than demonise them.”

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For further information, please contact Hannah Ward at hannah.ward@refugeecouncil.org.uk or 020 7346 1213.
For urgent or out of hours inquiries ring 0870 0555500 & ask for pager 865169.