‘Brexit is only of benefit to refugees’

AT last, I’ve found a group of people who claim Brexit has been of benefit to them.

No, not the British fishermen – we know how brutally let down they feel – not the farmers or the thousands of businesses which have had to absorb huge Brexit-caused losses.

But there is a growing demographic that Brexit does suit – the migrants and refugees living in Northern France.

According to a special report in The Guardian (November 12), refugees living in Northern France say Brexit has made it easier to reach the UK in small boats.

The article contains reports that refugees, many fleeing war zones, believe this because Brexit saw the UK lose its right to send them back to EU countries where they were registered (under EU law known as the Dublin Arrangement).

Since January 1, 2020, the number of refugees risking their lives crossing the perishing English Channel has risen sharply, and of course, tragic events are unfolding, casting the whole aura of the UK into a veil of darkness, led by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Patel’s new asylum policy, ruthless in nature and fertile ground for people smugglers, has received global condemnation.

Even the Law Society joined the barrage of criticism, saying Patel’s fundamental changes to refugee policy are ‘undermining access to justice and making a mockery of British fair play’.

It’s no wonder Boris likes Peppa Pig World so much – what with his Brexit-related problems, poorly delivered speeches and rising inflation, he seems to be making a pig’s ear of everything.

S.J. BROOM

HANLEY