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Boris Johnson has prompted fury after wrongly suggesting all migrants barred from state assist below the Home Office’s no recourse to public funds (NRPF) coverage are within the UK unlawfully.
The prime minister has rejected requires the NRPF situation to be suspended through the pandemic, backing up this resolution by saying it applies to people who find themselves within the nation illegally.
NRPF is a situation utilized to folks within the UK with a short lived immigration standing who’re eligible to reside and work within the nation, however who’re prevented from accessing state advantages with a purpose to “protect public funds”. It can also be robotically utilized to these with out authorized standing.
Campaigners have warned the rule is forcing migrant employees to decide on between “financial ruin” or risking their lives to work through the coronavirus pandemic, and known as for it to be suspended – however no such transfer has been taken.
Addressing Mr Johnson throughout an proof session with the Liaison Committee on Wednesday, Labour MP Stephen Timms stated of NRPF: “In my area it’s one of the factors in the spread of the pandemic. People can’t stop working because they can’t claim social security so they have to carry on working.”
He went on to pose the query: “Shouldn’t this NRPF condition at least be suspended for the duration of the pandemic?”
The prime minister responded: “I totally understand the logic of your argument, but the problem is it’s a very longstanding provision in this country that NRPF conditions should apply to those for instance who are here illegally or unlawfully.
“I think it would be not the right way forward to change that.”
Responding to Mr Johnson’s remarks, Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said they were “outrageous and wrong”, including: “He should know that it’s a standard condition imposed on most people who come to live and work here on a visa.
“NRPF is particularly damaging during the Covid crisis, preventing many families who have lost their livelihoods overnight from accessing the universal credit safety net. It’s long past time for the government to make this vital change [to lift the NRPF condition] to help keep people safe.”
Minnie Rahman, public affairs and campaigns supervisor on the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, accused the prime minister of “either wilfully lying, or obfuscating the truth” about NRPF situations.
“He has had these points raised instantly with him by parliamentarians and civil society numerous occasions within the final yr. As the PM ought to know, these guidelines apply to 1.4 million folks – each these with visas and people with out.
“They exclude 1000’s of households from our social security internet and have pushed folks into destitution, homelessness and harmful working situations.
“The prime minister’s inaction on this issue is putting migrants lives at risk and jeopardising public health too. He needs to end his political game-playing, and ensure everyone has the safety net they need right now.”
A report by the Work and Pensions Committee last June argued that in a pandemic it couldn’t be within the public curiosity to anticipate folks – a few of whom are key employees and frontline medical workers – to conform totally with restrictive public well being steerage whereas concurrently denying them full entry to the welfare security internet.
No 10 has been approached for remark.
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