How the government can design better asylum policy

The government must exert its authority over the whole asylum system and avoid short-sighted measures aimed at conjuring an illusion of control.

This report puts forward recommendations to help the government set a clear direction and a coherent asylum strategy rather than the reactive or contradictory decisions made by previous governments.

While the root causes of demand for asylum are outside the government’s control, the report says the UK can break away from the reactive policy and operational decisions on asylum that have dominated the last few decades.

It says government should set a new approach to making policy grounded in an annual Migration Plan, debated in parliament, to set out its aims on asylum and migration and how it intends to meet them. With a clear strategy and set of priorities, the government can enhance the quality of its asylum policy making by making changes in three main areas: using evidence effectively; managing the system; and navigating the politics.