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Telling it like it is

By Harmit Athwal

24 February 2005, 2:00pm

In the week that the government announced a fall in the number of asylum seekers coming to the UK, the Scottish Refugee Council released a guide on The truth about asylum.

The pocket guide, Tell it like it is: The truth about asylum published by the Scottish, Welsh and English Refugee Councils and Student Action for Refugees (STAR) calls on the main political parties 'to keep the truth in their pockets'!

The handy guide provides key facts and figures about asylum seekers and why they come to the UK. The refugee groups are calling on political parties, in the upcoming elections, to 'tell the truth and not rely on hearsay'.

The guide examines some key claims and then refutes them with the facts. For example, on 23 January the Daily Star claimed 'One in five flock here; asylum: we're too damn soft'. This statement is refuted by the fact that at the end of 2003, only 2.8 per cent (approx 270,000 refugees) had come to the UK.

The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.

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