Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether asylum seekers from red-list countries will be denied entry to the UK in accordance with the new travel regulations announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 9 February 2021.

Asylum seekers are not going to be denied entry to the UK from red-list countries and their asylum claims will be processed as usual. The UK has a proud record of providing protection for asylum seekers fleeing persecution, and every asylum claim is considered carefully, sensitively and on its individual merits by caseworkers who receive extensive training. Those asylum seekers who arrive in UK through illegal means are treated the same as every other arrival and must quarantine for 10 days – this is in line with Public Health England guidance. They are transported to designated accommodation where providers will monitor their isolation period and as would be expected if they break restrictions, we expect the police to take enforcement action.