Afghans left behind in Kabul will receive safe UK passage, vows Patel

Priti Patel has said the government wants to avoid Afghan refugees travelling to the UK unsafely, as she pledged to create safe routes of passage.

The home secretary said the UK is “dedicated” to helping those who do not escape Afghanistan as part of the UK’s withdrawal before August 31, as she visited Heathrow Terminal 4 where a plane carrying 369 refugees arrived yesterday morning.

Ms Patel told reporters that Afghans crossing the Channel with people smugglers is “exactly what we want to avoid”.

She added: “We want to avoid that because clearly it puts families in danger. The world has seen this in the Syria crisis.

“In 2015 we saw thousands of people dying in the Mediterranean, making the most perilous, treacherous journeys that puts them in the hands of people traffickers, people smugglers who just don’t care about safety.”

The home secretary also said the government is “dedicated and committed” to making sure people who do not escape Afghanistan ahead of the withdrawal are able to make safe journeys to resettle in the UK.

She said: “Those individuals who may not get out, there is huge work taking place right now, you saw it at the G7, the prime minister said that we will supply safe passage.”

Heathrow has been used as a refugee processing centre since Tuesday, with between five and six flights a day carrying more than 1,000 refugee passengers between them arriving at Terminal 4.

Home Secretary Priti Patel watches as a refugee has her fingerprints taken after arriving from Afghanistan.