Petition · past parliament · Home Office

Leave the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol & revoke the Immigration Act

Closed 13,040 signatures

What the petition asks

UK to leave the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Along with removing the Immigration Act 1999 from UK law. Responsibility of government in a democracy is to protect and safeguard the lives of its citizens. We believe the Government is failing alarmingly to Keep British citizens safe.
Asylum seekers travel across multiple oceans and multiple safe countries. The UK already has millions unemployed, 280,000 people homeless; sofa serving not in stable accommodation, tens of thousands sleeping rough (Big Issue). In 2019/20 approximately 1.9 million people used a foodbank (Trussell Trust).

Government response · 26 May 2021

The Government is committed to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol and has no plans to repeal the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. We are planning widespread reform of the asylum system.

The UK has a long and proud history of providing protection to those that need it. The 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the cornerstone of this proud history, and the Government is committed to upholding our international obligations.

The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is a significant piece of legislation that governs large parts of the immigration system and there are no plans to remove it from UK law. That is not to say it cannot be amended and reformed should that be necessary.

We recognise the challenge of illegal migration and are committed to comprehensive reform of our asylum system. The Government’s proposed changes were outlined in the recent New Plan for Immigration policy statement, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-plan-for-immigration

The consultation period has now closed, and the Government will reflect on the findings before bringing forward legislation to deliver on its commitments.

Home Office

Timeline

19 Apr 2021 Petition opened for signatures
10 May 2021 Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response
26 May 2021 Government responded
19 Oct 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 13,040
Status Closed
Department Home Office
Opened 19 Apr 2021
Closed 19 Oct 2021
Response 26 May 2021

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.