Clive Lewis: Government must act in 'hours' to provide safe passage for Afghan refugees
The MP for Norwich South has signed a letter to the Home Secretary along with 38 MPs
Last updated 19th Aug 2021
The MP for Norwich South, Clive Lewis has signed a letter to Home Secretary, Priti Patel calling for the Government to "establish sustainable solutions" for Afghans fleeing persecution.
Amongst seven proposals, the letter urges the Home Office to "introduce a simplified process" to grant immediate protection to some 3,000 Afghan nationals currently awaiting a decision on their asylum application".
It also calls on the Government to "expedite family reunification applications" and "widen" the criteria of it.
It concluded by saying that it was "within the Government's gift to mount a world-leading, compassionate response to the crisis" and that they must "act urgently to deliver the compassionate response that is so sorely needed"
Gee Cook, the CEO of New Routes Integration, a refugee charity in Norwich, says: "Thank goodness we've got some semblance of a strategy, but our question is, what about the other 15,000 thousand, what about the women and girls that we know are in danger now?"
She says her charity has already had people volunteer to help and re-house any refugees, just hours after the UK Government's Afghan resettlement scheme was first announced.
"I don't think Norwich gets the positive press it should about welcoming migrants. It's been doing it since the 16th Century. It's an incredibly tolerant city and I've been blown away by the amount of people that have been offering bedding and food. People have been astonishing kind."