I am signing this petition as a resident of one of the following constituencies:

- Banbury (MP Victoria Prentis)

- Henley (MP John Howell) 

- Oxford East (MP Anneliese Dodds)

- Oxford West and Abingdon (MP Layla Moran)

- Wantage (MP David Johnston)

- Witney (MP Robert Courts)

I am signing because I refuse to turn my back on those refugees who are most in need of safety and security. 

I am signing to show I would like my MP to support the amendments brought forward by the House of Lords which will help to bring the Nationality and Borders Bill closer in line with the co-operative principles underpinning the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and increase the protection of human rights for displaced individuals entering the UK.

In particular, I urge my MP to act upon the following amendments:

The removal of Clause 11 

Clause 11 would introduce ‘differentiated treatment’ into asylum law, creating a two-tier system between 'legal' and 'illegal' refugees based on their means of arrival to the UK. Those who arrive via indirect (‘irregular’) routes would not be entitled to full refugee status, may be removed offshore, and, if allowed to remain in British territory, would face marginalisation within British society. The removal of this clause represents a critical amendment towards protecting the rights of all refugees to claim asylum in the UK, as well as keeping the UK in line with international refugee and humanitarian law. 

The removal of Clause 15 

Clause 15 is the ‘inadmissibility clause,’ which would enable the UK government to ‘remove’ a person claiming asylum to a third safe country with which they have ‘a connection’. This is impractical and unsafe; the UK government does not currently have any returns agreements with any other states and, further, each refugee’s personal circumstance means determining a ‘safe’ destination country for removal would be a fraught and risky process.

The inclusion of a family reunification route 

There is no longer any legal route for unaccompanied children to reunite with family members in the UK (beyond the Ukrainian Family Scheme). This provision must be built back into the system. 

The inclusion of a resettlement target 

A yearly resettlement target of 10,000 refugees would allow infrastructure to be built and local authorities to be prepared for new arrivals, rather than lurching from one emergency to another. As the government has already committed to resettle 5,000 Afghan refugees per year, this would secure a commitment of an additional 5,000 refugees per year from elsewhere in the world - a small ask given the scale of global displacement and the public will for supporting refugees and asylum seekers. 

I am signing because I want my voice to be heard, and I hope that my MP will represent me on these issues.

(When you sign, remember to include your constituency so we can direct this petition towards specific MPs)