Shabana Mahmood: I feel revulsion and fear at the sight of masked racists

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has spoken about feeling a “shiver of revulsion and fear” at the sight of “racists masked up, dressed all in black” as she announced the reopening of a scheme for vulnerable refugees to come to the UK.

Speaking to Labour conference in Liverpool on Monday, Ms Mahmood pledged to restore fairness and control to the UK’s migration system, saying: “It is not fair that those with a genuine need of protection cannot find a safe and legal way to claim asylum.”

Ms Mahmood announced that from next month charities and nonprofits, and universities, will be able to sponsor refugees to come to the UK under two bespoke pathways. The government will also reopen the UK resettlement route, which will partner with the United Nations to bring vulnerable refugees to Britain for a better life.

The limited scheme will see hundreds of refugees brought to the UK each year, with one in four arrivals expected to be Afghan women and girls and Palestinians.

The home secretary told Labour members that she understood “the fear that some communities have felt in recent times”, adding: “I have felt the same shiver of revulsion and fear at the sight of racists masked up, dressed all in black, whose actions are designed to threaten communities like mine”.

Her comments come after hundreds of masked men dressed in black blocked roads in Dover earlier this month in an apparent protest against illegal migration.

She also addressed fears felt by the Jewish community who have been “subject to rising antisemitism, and targeted by the hostile acts of foreign powers, who plot violence against our fellow countrymen and women”.

She added: “I know there is more we must do, to tackle the threats ranged against us. And I think particularly of the new and growing threat posed by young minds warped, online and alone.”

At the start of her speech, the home secretary addressed ongoing events at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offences on Sunday but have now been released on bail.

Ms Mahmood praised the "spirit of resilience" of the residents living near the RAF base, which is used by the US military, saying: "They represent the very best of our country". She said the recent events were "a reminder that at a time of heightened threat we must all remain vigilant".

The home secretary also defended her contentious reforms to legal settlement in the UK, which will make it harder for many foreign nationals to get permanent leave to remain in Britain.

She told Labour members in Liverpool: "I know that, throughout our consultation process, some have said elements of these reforms are not fair. To that: let me say this. We will come to a position that balances fairness for those who came here legally, and fairness to British citizens across this country."

Responding to Ms Mahmood’s comments, Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre said: “Safe and legal routes for people fleeing humanitarian crises are desperately needed. But, earlier this year in March, the home secretary excluded Afghanistan from the list of countries from which nationals are eligible to apply for Study and Work visa routes, undermining that very objective.

“While today’s announcement is welcome, Ms Mahmood has threatened to implement the biggest restrictions to settlement in a generation, which would force refugees into a lifetime of insecurity.”

Ending her speech, Ms Mahmood said: “We are restoring fairness, and creating space for compassion, tolerance and generosity....knife crime: down. Serious violence: down. Net migration: down. Small boat crossings: down. That is how we make this country fairer. That is how we defeat the forces of division. That is how we hold this country together”.