London, 21 October 2020 – The Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Immigration Detention, Alison Thewliss MP, has called on Priti Patel to apologise following the Court of Appeal’s judgement today on the Home Office’s Removal Notice Window policy.
Under the policy, individuals are given between 72 hours and 7 days’ notice that they could be removed from the UK without further warning at any time during the following 3 months.
In a unanimous ruling, the Court found the policy to be unlawful as it does not give individuals the adequate opportunity to obtain legal advice and access a court before being placed at immediate risk of removal.
Around 40,000 people have been affected by the policy since it was introduced in 2015.
Commenting, Ms Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, said:
“The volume of people who may not have had adequate access to legal services before being removed by the Home Office is frankly astonishing. It is perhaps unsurprising however, given the department’s legacy of ill-treatment towards the most vulnerable in our society, many of them seeking asylum and refuge – something I have come across all too often in my constituency casework.
“The details now emerging from the Court of Appeal case are staggering, and range from people being removed unlawfully to those being denied access to justice whilst spending time in immigration detention settings. However you cut it, these actions are profoundly immoral, and far from the hallmark of a caring and compassionate government.
“The Home Secretary must explain the actions of her department urgently. In addition, she should apologise to all those who have been impacted by this insidious policy, and give assurances that her department will never bring in any similar policy again in the future”.
Notes to Editor:
- Contact: Elspeth Macdonald – Secretariat, APPG on Immigration Detention, contact@appgdetention.org.uk
- The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Immigration Detention comprises over 35 parliamentarians from across all main political parties who share concerns about the use of immigration detention in the UK. More information about the group, including its full membership list, is available at www.appgdetention.org.uk.
- A full copy of the Court’s ruling is available here.