Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Braverman to call for changes to UN refugee rules

Braverman will question whether the application of the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention is ‘fit for our modern age’

Braverman to call for changes to UN refugee rules

HOME SECRETARY Suella Braverman will call on Tuesday (26) for governments to consider rewriting global refugee rules so they are "fit for the modern age" and do not deem being gay, or a woman, enough of a reason to qualify for asylum.

Addressing the American Enterprise Institute think-tank in Washington, Braverman will set out her case for how to tackle the global refugee crisis.


Braverman will call for changes to the United Nations 1951 refugee convention - the legal foundation for the protection of refugees worldwide - ratified by Britain and about 150 other countries.

The convention enshrines the principle that states that have signed up to the convention must protect civilians fleeing conflict or persecution.

Braverman will argue that case law arising from the convention has lowered the threshold so that asylum seekers need only prove that they face "discrimination" instead of a real risk of torture or violence.

The number of people who may therefore qualify for asylum has reached "unsustainable" levels and "being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin, is sufficient to qualify for protection", Braverman will say, according to extracts released by her department.

"We now live in a completely different time" from when the convention was signed. As case law has developed, what we have seen in practice is an interpretive shift away from 'persecution', in favour of something more akin to a definition of 'discrimination'," she is expected to say.

"And a similar shift away from a 'well-founded fear' toward a 'credible' or 'plausible fear'. The practical consequence of which has been to expand the number of those who may qualify for asylum, and to lower the threshold for doing so."

The convention has been one of the biggest legal barriers to deter people arriving in small boats and to send them either home or to so-called safe third countries such as Rwanda.

The definition of refugee grants the right for at least 780 million people worldwide to move to another country, according to the Margaret Thatcher-founded think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies.

Stopping small boat arrivals across the Channel from France is a priority for prime minister Rishi Sunak. Almost 24,000 people have been detected crossing the Channel in small boats this year, despite Sunak's promise to "stop the boats".

In her speech, Braverman will insist asylum seekers should instead be obliged to make a claim in the first safe country they reach.

"The vast majority have passed through multiple safe countries, and in some instances have resided in safe countries for several years," Braverman will say.

"In this sense, there is an argument that they should cease to be treated as refugees when considering the legitimacy of their onward movement."

(with inputs from agencies)

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less