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Tory MP Katie Lam describes the Home Office's guidance as one of the most shocking things she has ever seen
Earlier this week, the Home Office issued a ‘behaviour guide’ for people seeking asylum in Britain.
Government ministers often tell us that we have nothing to fear from the thousands of migrants, most of them young men, streaming over the Channel.
They say that concerns about migrant crime are a racist conspiracy theory; that those asking for greater transparency about migrant crime data are dangerous and divisive.
Yet, in their own guidance, they felt the need to explain to asylum seekers ideas which are fundamental to our society.
One page focused on the concept of ‘consent’ – and the idea that, in Britain, both people must consent to sex.
Another focused on the idea that, in Britain, it’s considered wrong to have sex with children under the age of 16.
Another still told asylum seekers that, in this country, it’s considered wrong to beat and assault women and shockingly stipulated that it is "even" considered wrong in the context of marriage.
The fact that this has to be spelled out at all is a damning indictment of the kind of people that the Government is letting into this country.
Perhaps the most galling detail of all was that, rather than threatening immediate deportation for those who violate these norms, the Government’s guidance suggested that it might merely count against their asylum application.
Why on earth is it possible for anybody who needs these basic truths explained to them to seek asylum in this country?
They clearly pose a danger to the public. The norms that we’ve built in Britain, over centuries, are incredibly precious.
They’ve allowed individuals – regardless of their characteristics – to flourish, succeed, and live in peace with one another.
It’s these norms which have, ultimately, made Britain such a great country for so long.
Unfortunately, those norms are not shared by the vast majority of people around the world.
For example, it is exceptionally uncommon to believe that the life of a woman is equal in value to that of a man – and yet, in this country, that’s a belief shared by almost everybody.
We cannot, and should not, take it for granted that people who come here illegally will share that belief.
And as we’ve seen in far too many cases, those who don’t share our norms are often willing to violate them.
Continuing to allow asylum applications from people who break our laws, and who come from countries with very different norms to ours, poses a clear and present danger to the public – and particularly to women and girls.
If somebody doesn’t already understand that it’s wrong to rape, to have sex with a child, or to abuse women, the answer isn’t to tell them it’s not allowed here, and to hope for the best.
It’s to prevent them from coming to this country in the first place – and, if they come here illegally, to deport them as quickly as possible.
