The rules were originally introduced by the Tories, but Sir Keir and the Labour government has announced this will be repealed, alongside legislation allowing ministers to treat asylum seekers as adults if they refuse scientific checks to confirm their age.
Such tests include MRI scans of knee bones and collar bones and X-rays of hands, wrist bones and molar teeth.
Critics fear that a softening on laws in this area will lead to more migrants claiming they are children in a bid to be granted refugee status, as shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the Bill of being a ‘total capitulation to people smugglers’.
In the first half of 2024, more than 1,300 illegal migrants were caught falsifying information about their ages.
At present, two Home Office staff assess migrants from small boat arrivals on their ‘physical appearance and demeanour’.
Other major European countries, including France and Germany, use medical tests to determine the ages of asylum seekers....<<<Read More>>>...
