The Immigration Bill currently going through Parliament, if it becomes law, will make it a whole lot harder to welcome those seeking sanctuary, as Migrant Rights Network makes clear in this briefing.
The Bill goes before the House of Lords for its second reading on Tuesday 22nd December. Before then we need to throw as much weight as possible against it, so we are asking you to do two things:-
- Contact as many members of the House of Lords as you can (here’s how ), particularly those with an interest in immigration. Tell them why and how you think that the Bill should be amended or thrown out. Remember to be polite and to arm your selected peer with arguments which you hope they will use effectively in the House.
- If you are a Brighton and Hove resident, contact your local city councillors to ask them to push the Council to lobby against the Bill, in line with our standing as a City of Sanctuary. You can find their contact details here.
We have prepared sample letters for you to use, but make sure you, but make sure you adapt them and use your own words as far as possible. Personal, heartfelt letters are more much more effective than duplicate mailouts, and some Peers delete any emails that are identical to others they have received.
Here are links to sample letters:
- Immigration Bill sample letter to Members of the House of Lords
- Immigration Bill sample letter to BHCC councillors
Please act without delay – peers and councillors will like the rest of us be getting ready for Christmas, and the Government may be expecting the Bill to go through on the nod because everyone’s on their way home for the holidays. Let’s try not to allow that to happen.