MPS petition Johnson to stop deportation flight to Jamaica
MORE than 150 cross-party MPS and peers have written to the Prime Minister calling on him to halt a flight to deport 50 people to
Jamaica.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is among those calling for Boris Johnson to intervene.
Nottingham East Labour MP Nadia Whittome organised the letter in protest at the Home Office chartering a flight on February 11 which she says is intended to deport people who have been resident in the UK for decades.
Ms Whittome said deportations should be stopped until a report into the Windrush controversy is released. The MP said: “The fact is that many of the individuals in question have lived in the UK since they were children and at least 41 British children are now at risk of losing their fathers through this charter flight.
“The Government risks repeating the mistakes of the Windrush scandal unless it cancels this flight and others like it until the Windrush Lessons Learned review has been published and its recommendations implemented.”
Labour shadow immigration minister Bell Ribeiro-addy said: “Mass deportation by charter flight is the most brutal and inhumane way to remove people from this country.
“It often lacks due process, has little regard for deportees’ safety, and even less for their right to a family life.
“Both the Home Office and the Prime Minister do not appear to even have the correct information on those due on the flight.
“We are calling on the Government to halt all charter flight deportations until it publishes its Windrush Lessons Learned review.
“After the Windrush scandal, we expect better but this Government will stop at nothing to maintain its hostile environment.”
The Home Office previously said, under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted and received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more.
However, there are exceptions, including a human rights breach or the UK’S obligations under the Refugee Convention.
A Home Office spokesman previously said: “The planned charter flight to Jamaica is specifically for removing foreign criminals. Those detained for removal include people convicted of manslaughter, rape, violent crime and dealing class-a drugs.”