Tony Blair and asylum: The narratives, conceptualisations, restrictionism

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Source: Refugee Studies Centre

By Bethany Maughan

Over the last twenty years, there has been a radical shift in public perceptions of and political reactions to asylum seekers in democratic states across the world. As numbers of asylum seekers have risen, at times dramatically, governments of all political persuasions have implemented restrictionist policies designed to prevent and deter individuals from seeking asylum.

This political and conceptual transformation has been particularly marked in the United Kingdom. This paper seeks to examine the development of this restrictionist trend by exploring the conceptual foundations of New Labour’s asylum policies.

Tony Blair’s asylum policies: The narratives and conceptualisations at the heart of New Labour’s restrictio...