UK pauses decisions on Syrian asylum claims amid calls for regional stability

London: The United Kingdom has paused all decisions on Syrian asylum claims after the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime over the weekend, following which Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for peace and stability in the region.

The Home Office said that it will keep matters under review after its asylum applications pause for thousands of Syrian refugees following similar moves by Germany, Greece and Austria. "The Home Office has paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst we assess the current situation. We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues," a statement said.

It came as Starmer announced a further GBP 11 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable and displaced by the Syrian conflict while on a tour of the Middle East this week, engaging in talks with the leadership in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In a statement on Monday, he noted that “what happens in the Middle East matters at home”.

“That is why we are strengthening our defence partnership with Saudi Arabia, protecting the most vulnerable in Syria, supporting our partners in Lebanon and working with the international community to push for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, secure the return of all hostages and accelerate aid into Gaza,” he said.

It followed his statement over the weekend welcoming the fall of Assad’s regime in Syria.

“The Syrian people have suffered under Assad’s barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure. Our focus is now on ensuring a political solution prevails, and peace and stability is restored,” stated Starmer.

His Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, reiterated the message in a strongly worded statement in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, during which he described Assad as a “dictator whose sole interest was his wealth and his power” and a “butcher with the blood of countless innocents on his hands”.

“Now we see the reality: Assad is the rat of Damascus. Fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs. How fitting he should end up there,” said Lammy.

With reference to the controversial group behind the rebel offensive in Damascus, the senior Cabinet minister said Britain is closely watching the actions of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – a banned terrorist group as an alias of Al Qaeda.

He stated, “Thus far, HTS has offered reassurances to minorities in Aleppo, Hama and Damascus. They have also committed to cooperating with the international community over monitoring chemical weapons. We will judge HTS by their actions, monitoring closely how they and other parties to this conflict treat all civilians in areas they control."

“The UK and our allies have spent over a decade combating terrorism in Syria. Daesh [Al Qaeda] remains one of the most significant terrorist threats to the UK, our allies and our interests overseas. We take seriously our duty as government to protect the public from this and other terrorist threats,” he said.

His counterpart in the shadow cabinet, Priti Patel, asked if the government would ensure there would be no asylum claims from former members of the Assad regime.

Lammy responded by saying that the UK government is working to record human rights offences carried out by the Assad regime.

The war in Syria has forced millions of people to flee the country, with the majority heading to Turkey and other neighbouring nations. UK Home Office statistics show Syrians generated the fifth largest amount of asylum claims in the UK, after Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh.