Andy Burnham has defended advice handed to asylum-seekers by the government, telling them rape and domestic abuse are serious crimes.
The guidance forms part of a Home Office document entitled “Understanding behaviours and expectations in the UK” which also provides guidance on gender equality and respect in public.
The nine-page document published on Wednesday says it is to help “understand what is expected of you when living in the UK” and the “rules and expectations are not just for people seeking asylum, they apply to everyone living here”.
It advises that rape, sex with someone under the age of 16 and domestic abuse are “serious crimes” which could lead to prison and loss of support and accommodation, as well as affecting asylum claims.
The prime minister defended the advice, telling reporters on a visit to an illegal waste dump in Bradford, West Yorkshire that he has “made explicitly clear what the UK law is and what the societal norms of the UK are”.
“As a government, we have a very clear principle: if you break UK law, you will be removed from the country and we have seen that in relation to immigration, where removals are significantly up,” he said.
“I’m currently working to ensure that foreign national offenders who can be removed from the prison system are removed from that system.
“So it follows that if we’re taking this approach, it’s made explicitly clear what the UK law is and what the societal norms of the UK are, and that’s why this approach is being taken.”
School standards minister Georgia Gould said that the starting point of asylum seekers coming to this country is "understanding the laws of this country”, but warned against making “full generalisations”.
Asked about whether there are concerns about some migrants coming from other countries, she said the treatment of women in countries such as Afghanistan was “obviously very, very different and deeply concerning”.
“But it is for many people who come from Afghanistan,” she told Times Radio. “And when I used to lead Camden Council, we had a really large number of Afghan evacuees who came into Camden, and I spent many, many hours with those families. These are people who served alongside British troops who were, you know, acted as security families.
“And these were, you know, wonderful people who wanted to contribute, who had, you know, done a huge amount in their country and had a huge amount that they wanted to contribute to our country.”
In response to presenter Stig Abell saying there are some men “come from a culture which doesn't value women”, she said: “I don't think it's possible to make those kind of full generalisations.
“My experience of having worked very closely with Afghan refugees, is that, you know, that there is, you know, very many people who were so proud to be in a country that supported women.”
The booklet explains that women have equality in Britain and are free to work, study, travel and make decisions about their lives, and says anyone not following the rules may be in trouble with police or lose their accommodation and support and could have their asylum claim rejected.
The nine-page Home Office guidelines also includes phone numbers and links to sites where migrants can get help.
In the section entitled “sex and consent”, the guidance tells asylum seekers that “consent is needed in every situation”.
The guidance also covers gender equality, saying equal rights are “an important part of UK culture… protected by law”.
It also calls for respect for others “even if you disagree with their beliefs or how they live” and provides helplines for those affected by abuse.
Asylum-seekers are also warned not to make sexual comments, even if they think it is a compliment; whistle or make kissing noises at someone; follow someone or block their path or make rude or offensive gestures.
A separate leaflet published at the same time, called Keeping Children Safe in the UK, warns that female genital mutilation and forcing a child to marry are serious crimes in the UK.
The government says it wants no possible misunderstanding of what is expected of asylum-seekers.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We expect everyone who comes to the UK to abide by our laws. If they do not, they will face consequences, including the refusal of their asylum claim and removal from the UK.
“Returns of failed asylum-seekers have reached their highest level since 2010 under this government.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “It seems like every day there is another report of an illegal immigrant raping or assaulting women and young girls here. Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants to behave in a civilised way towards women, the Home Office should instead deport them.”
In a video posted on X, Reform home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf described the guidance as a “disgrace”, which shows the government knows asylum seekers are a “menace”.
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