The Nationality and Borders Act, the Illegal Migration Act and the Rwanda Policy – an obdurate response to the consequences of austerity

In this paper I briefly discuss some of the wider political, economic and social changes which I believe may have contributed to the surprisingly sharp response of the current government to the 'small boats' issue. I argue that the recent and current legislative moves against asylum-seekers require a broader explanation than is provided by the view that the government is just tapping into 'far-right' anti-migrant sentiment. I suggest that we are seeing a significant long-term consequence of austerity, whereby a country not able to cope with asylum-seekers within standard programmes believes it has no alternative other than adopting policies echoing the rhetoric of the 'war on terror', rather than attempting to provide protection for refugees who arrive in the UK. I look at two consequences of austerity in particular, namely, delays and housing shortages. I argue that those particular consequences of austerity flowing together have rendered asylum-seekers 'hyper-visible' and thus, in the minds of such as this government, require 'absolute' solutions – solutions which admit of absolutely no discretion and virtually no interference by any court.