Dear John,

The tragedy in the Channel should be a wake-up call.

The UK needs better protections for refugees and asylum seekers.

The Guardian reports the shocking treatment asylum seekers receive on entry to our country.

In processing sites across Kent, people are being held in inhumane conditions. One site held over 200 people cramped in windowless containers, which prison inspectors deemed “unfit for even small numbers”. Other sites held asylum seekers for more than two days in rooms with no sleeping facilities, showers or access to the open air.

These people come to our country seeking safety, often fleeing unimaginable hardship. Yet the government has failed to extend to them the most basic protections and respect.

Write to your MP now, and demand asylum seekers are treated with respect. Send a message now.

This country is a beacon of hope for many. Seekers of sanctuary want to come to the UK to start new lives, or join family already here. Yet, our government has placed the most vulnerable in degrading and inhumane conditions. This is not the Britain I know and love.

These failures are all the more worrying as the government has stoked anti-migrant sentiment and created a hostile climate towards those seeking asylum.

That desperate people are driven to make dangerous Channel crossings is a national disgrace. They should be protected, not vilified.

We cannot let more tragedy occur. Children have drowned this week because our government refuses to offer those seeking sanctuary a safe passage. Write to your MP and demand they use their influence to redress this shameful situation and protect asylum seekers. Send your message now.

The tragic news from the Channel this week shames this country. Let’s honour their memory by pushing for more compassionate treatment for those who seek refuge in our country. We need to do better. We must do better.

You can do your part by writing to your MP, and demanding better.

Best wishes,

Naomi Smith, 
CEO, Best for Britain