Date Published: 05/11/10

African Immigrants in the UK and The New Prime Minister

Thousands of asylum seekers in the UK are to benefit from new rules set by the government to clear backlogs of about 450,000 applicants within the immigration system, according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph Newspaper. The Daily Telegraph is saying that the Home Office has lost track of tens of thousands of migrants who should have left the country at least six years ago, and some as far back as the 1990s. In 2006 the government had promised to clear a backlog of 450,000 asylum claims by 2011. However, officials realised that in the cases of some 40,000 claimants, it was tougher to remove them from Britain because they came from countries with poor human rights records such as Iran, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Nigeria.

The paper went on to say that Ministers have agreed that home office officials could change the guidelines to grant the 40,000 people indefinite leave to remain in the country. According to the report, Matthew Coats, head of immigration for the UK Border Agency, had sent a memo in July this year to Alan Johnson, Home Secretary, and Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, advising that rules be relaxed to clear the backlog by granting leave to remain in the UK to migrants if they have been living in the UK for at least 4-6 years instead of the previously stated rules that they must have been living in the country for 10-12 years. As usual the conservative opposition led by David Cameron is against the new rules.

But African’s across the UK have welcomed the news and this will give a big boost to the Labour party in the forthcoming general elections as this would mean over a million family members who may not have been eligible to vote as a result of their status would now cast their votes for the first time in the UK. We are urging all those who are set to benefit from these new rules to cast their votes for the Labour party as they have shown courage in the face of conservative adversity to make this positive move that will go down well in places as far as villages in remote areas in Africa whose loved ones have faced intolerable suffering in Britain as a result of tough immigration policies.

For a long time now, this press has called for amnesty for the thousands of immigrants from Africa living here in the UK. And we must commend the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown along with the new Home Secretary Alan Johnson together with Immigration Minister Phil Woolas who have shown so much compassion and acknowledgement of the fine contribution Africans are making towards the social and economic development of the United Kingdom. From now on this press would mount a ‘VOTE FOR LABOUR’ campaign in recognition and appreciation of this brilliant move by the labour government to make life much easier for African immigrants in the UK. This move is a clear indication that the Labour party is the party of the people!!

By Voting Labour you secure for yourself a bright future in the UK. The UK conservative party is not an option for immigrants; they simply don’t want to see us here!! At least the Labour government has granted 3 amnesties since they came to power. My friend, just vote labour!!

This piece was published on October 10, 2010 by Newstime Africa Magazine