Fury as Iraqis are removed from UK

The first group of failed Iraqi asylum seekers were sent back to Iraq last week amid outrage from campaigners.

The Refugee Council said it was “appalled” by the removals and that, in carrying them out, the government had defied advice from the UN High Commission for Refugees.

Tim Finch, the council’s director of communications, said: “The situation across all parts of Iraq remains highly volatile and insecure, and we do not believe the government has taken sufficient steps to ensure the safety of the people it has sent back to this war-torn region.”

He criticised the way the Home Office had handled the removals, saying many of the group had not had access to a lawyer to make last-minute representations.

A Home Office spokesperson said 15 Iraqis had been removed to Iraq. She said all enforced returns were looked at case by case and only happened after officials were satisfied that the individual concerned would not be put at risk.