Call for National Security Discussion on Migration
The government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, has stated that a discussion is necessary regarding the impact of migration on the UK's national security. This follows public backlash after a knife attack in Belfast.
Hall made these remarks after it was revealed that the 30-year-old Sudanese man charged with attempted murder had entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Hall emphasized that it is
"absolutely legitimate to talk about immigration in the context of national security".
He elaborated,
"If you look at state threats and people who have been willing to act as proxies or carry out attacks on behalf of Iran... I'm interested in the question of whether or not foreign nationality, particularly recent migrants, is becoming more relevant to the overall national security picture,"he said.
Impact of the Belfast Attack
Hall noted that although the Belfast attack does not appear to be a national security incident, it has had significant consequences.
"It has had huge ramifications... not least for people who happen to be black and brown who appear to have been driven out their houses, so it's extraordinarily destabilising,"he stated.
Response to Donald Trump's National Security Strategy
Hall also remarked on the absence of a response to former US President Donald Trump's National Security Strategy, released in November. The strategy criticized Europe's migration policies, claiming they were
"transforming the continent and creating strife". No European leaders have publicly accepted this assertion.
Trump warned that many European countries
"will not be viable countries any longer"if current immigration trends continue, calling the situation a
"disaster".
Hall commented,
"Now you may not have agreed with the language, but I think it does raise the question if certain countries are more likely either to commit very serious offences, or particular offences, or to get involved with state threat activity,"adding,
"Do we need to start thinking about migration now not simply in terms of the economy and housing, but also in terms of national security?"
Migration from War-Torn Areas and Security Assessments
When asked about migration from war-torn regions, Hall drew a comparison to security services' work assessing risks posed by individuals from Syrian camps who left the UK to join the Islamic State group.
He explained,
"One of the key features is that they were involved in, either witnessed or they perpetrated really serious violence and the assessment is that affects the risk that they present were they to return to the UK, so I think it is a relevant factor, yes,"adding,
"Ultimately national security is the health of the nation."
Government Cohesion Strategy
In April, the government published its cohesion strategy in which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that social cohesion is
"a vital front in the resilience of our national security".
The strategy acknowledged that
"we know that migration needs to be managed to support communities and cohesion".
EU Migration and Asylum Pact
This week, the European Union is implementing its Pact on Migration and Asylum, introducing new asylum procedures. The pact has faced criticism from the right for insufficient measures and from the left over concerns about refugee human rights.
Statistics on Foreign Nationals and Crime
The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the immigration status of convicted individuals but does record nationality.
Ben Brindle, a researcher at the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, stated that in 2024, the proportion of foreign nationals among those convicted and imprisoned in England and Wales was approximately equal to their share of the general population, at 13%.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, Brindle noted that conviction rates vary by nationality. Several nationalities with high asylum seeker shares, such as Afghans and Iraqis, appear to be
"over-represented"in the criminal justice system.
He explained,
"That's not just going to be about somebody's nationality but it's also driven in part by somebody's socioeconomic status, or age and sex as to whether somebody commits a crime,"adding that young men, who are more likely to claim asylum, also have a higher likelihood of committing crimes regardless of nationality.
Brindle further stated,
"It was very difficult to tell at the outset when granting asylum as to whether somebody is going to go on to commit crime or not."
Government and Opposition Responses
During an urgent question in the House of Commons, Home Office minister Dan Jarvis reported that there have been 67,000 deportations and removals under the current government.
He affirmed,
"This government will do everything that we can, everything in our powers, and if there are further powers required, we'll make sure that we have them to deport and remove those people who raise a threat to the public,"he said.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp advocated for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights to enable deportation of illegal migrants upon arrival, asserting this would halt illegal immigration and
"all appalling crimes with it".
Details of the Belfast Knife Attack
On Wednesday, 30-year-old Hadi Alodid was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night. He also faces charges of possession of a knife in a public place and threats to kill an NHS worker.
The victim, Stephen Ogilvy, who is in his 40s, remains hospitalized. Court proceedings revealed that he has lost his left eye and sustained damage to his right eye, along with injuries to his neck and back.
Alodid has been remanded in custody.
