Meeting of the Parliament 10 September 2025
Our words matter in this debate. They matter to the communities that we serve and those who seek our protection. Therefore, my message is clear: we must ensure that Scotland continues to be a welcoming nation to those fleeing persecution, conflict or danger.
The UK has a moral and international legal obligation to uphold the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the supporting 1967 protocol. Indeed, the UK was a founding signatory to the convention, which defines the term refugee and outlines the legal protection, rights and assistance that a refugee is entitled to receive. According to international law, everyone who satisfies that definition in the convention is a refugee.
Scotland has a long history of being a welcoming nation where refugees have been able to rebuild their lives. Successive generations of refugee communities have contributed to Scotland’s economy and society. We should not now turn our backs on those who need our protection in response to those who seek to cause division and fuel tensions.
Asylum is a reserved issue. The UK Government is responsible for asylum decision making and the provision of asylum accommodation. The Scottish Government has repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of UK asylum policy on Scottish local authorities, devolved public services and people living in our communities.
As Kaukab Stewart pointed out, it was the previous Conservative UK Government that introduced asylum hotels and caused a processing backlog in the UK asylum system. Over the past year, attempts by the current UK Government to speed up decision making and clear that backlog have resulted in a larger-than-expected number of newly recognised refugees seeking support from local authorities. The wording is important: we speak of newly recognised refugees who have gone through the process, not illegal immigrants or migrants. That is where the danger is in the policies that we are seeing.
I am disappointed that the UK Government has not been able to work with the Scottish Government and councils on the pressures in the current system. The situation has been further exacerbated by the recent reduction in the time that people seeking asylum are given to move on from asylum accommodation after receiving a positive decision on their asylum claim—again, that means that they are not an illegal asylum seeker. Newly recognised refugees are entitled to housing support and other benefits, but we have long argued that 28 days is not sufficient time to enable them to make those arrangements. Indeed, that is a position that is also held by the British Red Cross.
Of course, the UK Government’s policy of restricting people seeking asylum from working can also make finding a job extremely difficult once a decision has been made.
The Scottish Government recognises that Glasgow City Council in particular has come under significant pressure as a result of UK Government decision making, and I have repeatedly called on Home Office ministers to meet me alongside Glasgow City Council. Indeed, in April, the Scottish Refugee Council invited me to attend a round-table meeting, along with the council and the UK Government. We were disappointed that UK Government ministers did not join us at that meeting, at which we collectively discussed what could be done to tackle the pressures, within our own responsibilities.
In the face of Russian aggression, we stood with the people of Ukraine, helping more than 28,000 people to flee war. That approach was supported across the chamber. I wonder what the difference is that makes some people think that we should not support people who flee war, persecution and abuse when they come from other countries.