Lars Kramm, York Green Party Parliamentary Spokesperson, has called on York’s two Labour MPs to stand up to their government, oppose the Home Secretary’s cruel and unworkable proposals, and back a fair, evidence-based asylum system that reflects the values our city is supposed to represent.
He says, “York is proud to be a City of Sanctuary and the UK’s first Human Rights City. That has to mean something when people fleeing war, persecution and climate breakdown reach our shores.
“Labour’s plans do not fix the causes of pressure on housing, the NHS or public services. Instead, they choose to sacrifice some of the most vulnerable people in the world for a headline. York residents know that scapegoating refugees does not build a fairer, safer society.”
This follows widespread condemnation and outrage at the proposals announced by Shabana Mahmood on 17 November.
Green MP Carla Denyer has described the plans as “a new low from a government plumbing the depths of performative cruelty”, pointing out that a sensible, humane government would focus on creating safe routes so that people are not forced into dangerous small boat crossings. The Guardian reported her intervention in Parliament, where she reminded ministers that it is not people seeking sanctuary who are “tearing people apart”, but the toxic, racist narratives and scapegoating of migrants and asylum seekers for problems they did not cause.
Carla also challenged the Home Secretary’s attempt to smear Greens as “hypocrites” for opposing the warehousing of asylum seekers in military barracks. As she made clear, this is in line with the position of Greens in Parliament and of major refugee rights organisations. It is entirely possible to support the right to seek asylum while opposing degrading, unsafe accommodation that treats people as a problem to be contained rather than as human beings with rights.
Speaking on Channel 4 News, Green MP Ellie Chowns warned that Labour is now “aping the rhetoric of the far right”. As she put it, “they’re pulling up the drawbridge”, turning their backs on our basic human obligations to one another and ignoring what would actually work. On BBC 5 Live she highlighted that frustrations about housing, wages and public services are rooted in inequality and deliberate political choices, not in the presence of people fleeing war and persecution. Tightening the screws on those who have fled in fear of their lives will not fix the NHS, improve access to housing or repair our crumbling public services.
Instead, Ellie argued, we need fair taxation, properly funded public services and policies that enable people to integrate and become part of our communities. Britain is a diverse, multicultural society, and that diversity is a source of strength and richness, not something to fear.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski echoed this on BBC Newsnight, highlighting how the government is choosing to go after pensioners, disabled people and now people fleeing war and conflict rather than confronting powerful interests such as the fossil fuel industry or those profiting from deep inequality. As reported by HuffPost, he condemned this as “a totally unconscionable way to deal with things”, and reminded viewers that it is not migrants who are “destroying the country”, but those who profit from an unfair economic system.
A Green response rooted in York’s values
Here in York, these national debates cannot be separated from who we say we are as a city.
York has declared itself a City of Sanctuary and the UK’s first Human Rights City. Those commitments are not just slogans. They are promises that we will uphold dignity, fairness and human rights for everyone, including people seeking asylum and refugees who make York their home.
That is why York Green Party is so deeply concerned by these immigration proposals and by the language being used to sell them to the public.
What a humane, effective approach should look like
The Green Party has been clear that a better approach would focus on:
• Creating safe routes so that people are not forced into deadly crossings
• Providing decent accommodation, not warehousing people in remote barracks
• Speeding up decisions so people are not left in limbo for years
• Supporting integration so people can contribute fully to our communities
• Tackling inequality and underfunding instead of pitting residents against new arrivals
These are the kinds of policies that address real problems and uphold basic human dignity.
A call to action in York
The direction taken by the government is not inevitable. It is a choice.
If you share our concern about these proposals and the language used around them, you can:
• Contact your local MP via writetothem.org.uk
and ask them to oppose these measures
• Support organisations in York that work with refugees and asylum seekers
• Join York Green Party to help build a movement that stands up for human rights, tackles inequality and offers real solutions
York’s history and values tell us that we are better than this. Now is the moment to prove it.
