Labour MPs attack Starmer and say Gazans should be given refuge in Britain

Telegraph

19-02-2025

Sir Keir Starmer is facing demands from Labour MPs to allow Gazans to come to Britain.
The Prime Minister has vowed to close a 'loophole' in the Ukraine Family Scheme, first revealed by The Telegraph, that allowed a Palestinian family the right to enter the UK.
But 15 Labour MPs have now signed a letter demanding that he justify his plan and suggest that Gazans should be offered the same refuge as Ukrainians because 'basic humanity shouldn't be selective'.
The Telegraph exposed the case where a judge had allowed a family of six seeking to flee Gaza to join their brother in Britain.
Judge Hugo Norton-Taylor ruled that the Home Office's rejection of their application made through the Ukraine Family Scheme breached their human rights.
The case is part of a series of examples of migrants or convicted foreign criminals using human rights laws to remain in the UK or halt their deportations, which include the case of an Albanian criminal whose deportation was halted partly because of his young son's aversion to foreign chicken nuggets.
The decision by the immigration judge to grant the Palestinian migrants the right to live in the UK after applying through the Ukrainian refugee scheme was criticised by Sir Keir at Prime Minister's Questions last week.
He said it was the 'wrong' move and announced that Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, was looking at ways to close the 'legal loophole' to ensure it would not happen again.
The comments sparked a rare public row between the Prime Minister and Baroness Carr, Britain's most senior judge, who called on him to 'respect and protect the independence of the judiciary'.
Some 31 MPs, including 15 from Sir Keir's own party, have now rounded on the Prime Minister over his response to the decision.
In the letter published on Wednesday, they urged him to clarify his statement in the comments and provide justification for any potential action.
The signatories include Ian Byrne and Richard Burgon, two of the Labour MPs who have only recently been admitted to the party after being suspended over a rebellion over the two-child benefit cap last year.
I've co-ordinated a cross-party letter urging the PM to clarify his comments on closing a 'loophole' in the Ukraine Family Scheme that allowed a Palestinian family to stay in the UK.
Basic humanity shouldn't be selective - if we help some fleeing war, why not families from Gaza? pic.twitter.com/TIs5yd6pUf
— Kim Johnson (@KimJohnsonMP) February 19, 2025
The letter states: 'Basic humanity shouldn't be selective. If Britain supports safe routes and medical evacuation for some, why should it be any different for families fleeing conflict in Gaza?
'We would be grateful if you could clarify what 'loophole' in the Ukraine Family Scheme the Home Secretary is looking at closing as a result of the application by a Palestinian family, and what the justification for taking such an action would be.'
It is also signed by John McDonnell and Apsana Begum, two of the Labour MPs who remain suspended over the two-child benefit cap rebellion, and five Labour MPs from the 2024 intake.
Other signatories include Kim Johnson, a prominent Left-wing Labour MP, Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, and MPs from the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, the SDLP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.
Sir Keir said at PMQs last week: 'Let me be clear, I do not agree with the decision. She's right that it's the wrong decision…
'But let me be clear: it should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration, it should be [the] Government that makes the policy.
'That is the principle and the Home Secretary is already looking at the legal loophole that we need to close in this particular case.'