May faces Conservative revolt over indefinite detention of immigrants
The government of Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a revolt by Conservative MPs over the indefinite detention of immigrants in Britain.
Two former cabinet ministers have expressed their readiness to stop a controversial method blamed for inflicting mental breakdown on immigrant inmates, who have not been charged with any crime and given no release date, according to The Independent.
Britain has come under harsh criticism for being the only EU country that has no statutory time limit for detaining immigrants, including by the UN Human Rights Council.
Survivors of torture, trafficking and rape are among the tens of thousands of people held in overcrowded centers for months, or even years.
According to a recent investigation, there have been “widespread self-harm and attempted suicides” in such places.
Now campaigners argue a looming immigration bill provides a new opportunity for MPs to pass an amendment in order to impose a strict 28-day limit.
Andrew Mitchell, a former International Development Secretary, told The Independent, “I am warm towards this proposal.”
“I don’t think it’s right to hold people in detention indefinitely,” added Mitchell, who has described indefinite detention as a “stain on our democracy.”
He noted that what is even worse is that “when we have held people wrongly indefinitely, is that we have to use taxpayers’ money to get the government off the hook.”
Also, Caroline Spelman, a former Tory Environment Secretary, described the new bill as an “opportunity to act.”
“I would like to see Britain use methods that have proven to be effective in other countries – such as Sweden,” Spelman added.
The Democratic Unionist Party, which is supporting May in power, might also exert pressure on the government over the controversy.
Two of its 10 MPs, Gavin Robinson and Jim Shannon, have signed a Parliamentary motion demanding “a 28-day time limit and greater use of community-based alternatives.”
“The lack of a time limit destroys mental health. Self-harm, suicide attempts and deaths are common. This is state-sanctioned suffering on a vast scale,” said Martha Spurrier, the director of the civil liberties group Liberty.
Britain detains nearly 30,000 people each year in the centers, holding several hundred for longer than one year.
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