ABSTRACT
The changes in asylum law and policy in the United Kingdom, as outlined in the preceding chapters and reflected in the provisions of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 (AIAA 1993), the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 (AIA 1996) 1 and a number of other measures, have given rise to a general concern about the response of the UK to the increase in asylum applications. Western European states have shown that when confronted with the difficult issues raised by movements of refugees and asylum seekers, they are prepared to adopt exclusionary and restrictive policies, which displace the problem onto others. The UK is no exception to this trend. In the face of the “global migration crisis”, the challenge for states is not to lose sight of the need for fairness and humanity in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, at a time when public policy imperatives are often pulling governments in the opposite direction.
