News / Politics
Carla Denyer hopes to fix UK’s ‘stupid’ asylum system
Carla Denyer says that the UK’s “stupid” asylum system has not given a fair chance to refugees at getting jobs.
Appearing on a Channel 4 News debate, the Green Party co-leader, who is tipped to become MP for Bristol Central, said asylum seekers must be allowed to work and “support themselves”.
Denyer said: “I visited a refugee centre in my home city of Bristol recently and I met a woman who had been practising as a nurse in her home country.
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“She would need to do a little bit more training in order to start practising here. She wasn’t able to get started on that. She wasn’t able to work.
“She’d been waiting in this country for ten years. She wanted to contribute to the NHS, our country and our tax system and our stupid asylum system stopped her.”
Further extending her support towards migrants, Denyer emphasised that a long list of politicians were “scapegoating migrants” for the underfunding of public services.
Denyer said: “Let’s be real, we have over 100,000 vacancies in the NHS alone, that’s not even counting social care, hospitality, and other sectors.
“I’ve said this before but it hasn’t become less true – if you meet a migrant in the NHS, they are more likely to be treating you than to be ahead of you in the queue.”
Tuesday evening’s Channel 4 News debate hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy in Colchester focussed on both immigration, and law and order.
When questioned by the audience about policing tactics, Denyer said that the Green Party would put an end to routine stop and search which Denyer said is rooted in a “racist” ideology.
Denyer quoted a study by the Runnymede Trust which revealed Black people were 18 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police.
Denyer also pledged to make misogyny a hate crime as well as calling all forms of violence against women and girls an “absolute stain” on society.
She added: “The Green Party would make it a priority to end domestic abuse, and violence against women and girls.
“We would make sure that police are trained to deal with domestic violence, because too often we hear of women who have brought these cases to the police and have not been taken seriously.”
Carla Denyer took part in the leaders’ debate alongside Rhun ap Iorweth (Plaid Cymru), Richard Tice (Reform), Nick Symonds (Labour), Chris Philip (Conservative), Daisy Cooper (Lib Dem) and Keith Brown (SNP) – photo: Channel 4
Main photo: Channel 4
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