On the government’s first day back in the Commons – after a summer marked by dire headlines about asylum hotels and an ever-rising number of arrivals in small boats – Yvette Cooper was probably hoping that her plans to fix “our broken asylum system” would draw a line under things. Fat chance, home secretary.
In an attempt to regain the upper hand on immigration, many of her new measures have leaked in recent weeks – including further restrictions on the rights of refugees to be joined by their family members through tougher English language tests, narrower criteria of what counts as a family member, and further restrictions using Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights for failed asylum seekers to appeal against deportation.
