The Labour Party has committed to ending indefinite detention if they are in the next Government, the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.

The announcement follows a damning report into Britain’s immigration detention estate by a group of MPs.

In a statement, Yvette Cooper told The Independent:

“Indefinite detention of people who have committed no crime is wrong. It can be deeply scarring – especially for asylum-seekers who have already suffered abuse. And it is extremely expensive. No other Western nation does it.”

Responding to the announcement, Refugee Council Chief Executive Maurice Wren said: “The fact that people fleeing war and persecution are being locked away indefinitely in a civilised country is an affront to the values of fairness, humanity and liberty that we proudly regard as the cornerstones of our democracy.

“Today’s announcement is a welcome step forward from the Labour Party. At the top of the next Government’s to do list should be urgently acknowledging the growing political and public consensus that Britain detains too many people for too long.”