Revista Temas de Derecho Constitucional

235 INTRODUCTION The UK is signatory to the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees 1951 and its related Protocol of 1967. Both instruments guarantee the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution, in accordance with Article 14(1) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Britain’s long liberal tradition, well-known observance of the rule of law and its respect for human rights and freedoms, make it an attractive destination for those fleeing persecution elsewhere. During the past century the UK has seen the influx of asylum seekers, from European Jews to South American exiles, to more recently, African and Middle Eastern migrants fleeing war. Multiple and successive legislative developments, together with an increasingly strict policy of migratory control have limited the right of asylum, however. At time of writing there is the looming likelihood of the UK leaving the European Union on 31 October 2019 (‘Brexit’), a move motivated by the publicly felt need to control migration to Britain. Immigration to the UK is generally perceived as a ‘mass’ phenomenon affecting the capacity of local authorities to deliver public services such as health and education 2 and a ‘threat to the British way of life’ 3 . Asylum seeking has been seen as a drain on public resources. The climate around migrants and asylum seekers in particular is one of hostility. The incumbent Conservative Party leader, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has publicly expressed his anti-immigration stance, having previously called for the ‘Re- Britannification of Britain’ 4 . In reality, the number of asylum applications to Britain is relatively low. It reached 32,693 in June 2019 and has decreased, having peaked at 84,000 in the year 2002 5 . The country hosting the most refugees is Turkey – home to almost 3.7 million refugees. Other significant host countries for refugees are Pakistan (1.4 million), Uganda (1.2 2 A claim often made by anti-immigration advocacy groups such as Migration Watch UK (https://www. migrationwatchuk.org ) and like-minded media outlets: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8167669/britain- encouraging-illegal-immigrants-not-deporting-bogus-refugees/). For more objective, research-based sources see: https://fullfact.org/immigration/. The statistical report by the Hope Not Hate Campaign is particularly helpful: https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/fear-and-hope-report- 2019-07-final-1.pdf 3 Perraudin, F. (2019). Third of Britons believe Islam threatens British way of life, says report. Anti-Muslim prejudice replacing immigration as key driver of far-right growth. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www. theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/17/third-of-britons-believe-islam-threatens-british-way-of-life-says- report 4 In the context of condemning Islam, as cited by Pitt, B. (2018). Boris Johnson and Islamophobia. https:// medium.com/ @pitt_bob/boris-johnson-and-islamophobia-b2124635ad75 5 Facts about refugees - Refugee Action. (2019). https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/about/facts-about- refugees/