News

Over 150 asylum seekers from the 10 EU accession nations have had their applications for transitional support turned down.

Immigration minister Des Brown said that, since 5 April, 180 people had made representations to the government, of which only around 10 per cent had been granted help while they found a way of supporting themselves.

Ministers had previously announced that all asylum seekers from the accession countries would be denied support when their countries joined the EU on 1 May. But, at the last minute, the Home Office agreed to carry on supporting asylum seekers while it reviewed their cases and considered whether their human rights would be breached by the plans (news, page 7, 6 May).