Ms. Haddad was known to be a «very difficult» woman; During her tenure at the Home Office, one source claimed that
The former head of the Home Office accused of resisting key Conservative politicians in charge of granting asylum is joining a charity that called the government's policies «inhuman, racist and divisive ”.< /p>
Emma Haddad, who until October 2022 was Home Office Director General for Asylum, will help oversee Amnesty International UK, which is campaigning against government attempts to stop the Channel crossing and deport migrants to Rwanda .
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The appointment of Ms Haddad will increase tensions between conservative ministers and senior officials. A senior conservative said: «This demonstrates the magnitude of the institutional hurdles we face.»
One source described Ms Haddad as «very difficult» and «a major blocker» of the ministers' policies during her time at the Home Office. A Home Office source said that during his tenure as head of the ministry, the senior civil servant was «hostile» to the government's asylum program, including a plan to move migrants from taxpayer-funded hotel rooms to large-scale hotels. residence.
A Home Office source said that Ms. Haddad also oversaw the introduction of «soft» guidelines in which asylum workers were told they could not override the testimony of a migrant caught lies.
Sources cited her appeal to Amnesty as evidence. that Ms. Haddad was politically opposed to Conservative asylum and immigration policies.
Abide by civil service code
Responding to complaints, Ms. Haddad said: “Like any civil servant, my job was to to serve the government of that time. All public servants must abide by the Civil Service Code and uphold the core values of public service: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.”
The spat comes after a Public First poll showed that nearly half of supporters of voters who supported the Conservatives in 2019 believe the government isn't doing enough to address asylum and immigration.
Poll highlights potential backlash among a core constituency that Mr. Sunak intended to win over with his promise to end illegal Channel crossings.
1,208 Cumulative number of arrivals crossing the Channel on small boats
Ms. Haddad's move to Amnesty will also heighten concerns about the revolving door between Whitehall and organizations that seek to influence government policy.
The Business Appointments Advisory Committee, which reviews vacancies filled by former senior officials stated that the Home Office recognized that Ms Haddad's knowledge of the Department of Asylum and Immigration's «strategic thinking» would enhance «the effectiveness of Amnesty as a lobbying organization».
He banned Ms. Haddad from lobbying the government for two years and added: «Ms. Haddad confirmed that she will not be in contact with the government in this role and is focused on herself.»
p>During Mrs. Priti Patel's tenure as Home Minister, which ended in September 2022, numerous officials expressed their opposition to the government's asylum agreement for Rwanda on the Home Office's internal online bulletin board, with some of them threatening to go on strike over the matter. .
In March, the Mandarins complained after an email on behalf of Swella Braverman to members of the Conservative Party accused «a bunch of activists from left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labor Party» of blocking government plans to stop small boats transporting migrants across the English Channel.
It later transpired that the Home Secretary had not seen or authorized the email before it was sent.
0908 YouGov Poll _ The Rwandan Plan
Ms Haddad, who also took over as executive director of homeless charity St Mungo after leaving the Home Office, applied for an unpaid position with Amnesty after seeing an ad.
Amnesty was one of them. one of the most vocal opponents of the government's crackdown on illegal crossings of the English Channel for several years, calling the Rishi Sunak Illegal Migration Act, which became law in July, «inhuman, racist and divisive.»
The legislation has changed law in such a way that those who arrive in the UK illegally can be detained and then deported either to their home country or to a «safe third country» such as Rwanda. This element is currently being challenged in the courts.
In April, the charity said: “Hard asylum and immigration policies are not deterring people from dangerous journeys; moreover, the Home Office's own research contradicts this… The Home Office is spreading nonsensical scare stories about the number of people trying to come to the UK and accusing people of not taking safe and legal routes that don't exist.»
Ms Haddad left the Home Office a month after Ms Braverman was first appointed as Home Secretary Liz Truss, who has served as Director General of Asylum since February 2021 when Dame Preity was Home Secretary.
Dame Priti introduced the Citizenship and Borders Bill, which tightened asylum rules, including by creating a two-tier system whereby those who arrive through illegal crossings can receive less protection and support. Ms Haddad's approach at the time was that she was «totally unable to do anything,» the source claimed.
The legislation passed by Dame Preity was rejected by Amnesty on the grounds that it was «racist» and «pulling». the reputation of the UK through the dirt.”
An Amnesty International UK spokesman said: “Non-executive directors of Amnesty International UK do not determine our political position on legal or human rights issues, but they are expected to support it. positions while serving on the Amnesty UK board, and we have full confidence that all of our board members will do the same.”
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