THE head of a Christian charity, who was honoured by the Queen
for his work with asylum-seekers and homeless people, has returned
his award in protest at government policies.
Dave Smith, the founder of the charities Mustard Tree and the
Boaz Trust, based in Manchester, received the British Empire Medal
in last year's Birthday Honours. But he has now written to the
Prime Minster, as the Conservative Party Conference takes place in
the city, to complain that advice from him and others is being
ignored.
In his letter to David Cameron, he said that by accepting the
award, he had hoped that it might "highlight the immense
difficulties faced by those we are helping.
"I have responded to several government consultations, and wrote
to Damien Green when he was Immigration Minister, outlining ways to
deliver a fairer asylum system. Mr Green did not reply, and none of
the recommendations were implemented.
"It is clear that those on the front line, who are picking up
the pieces caused by austerity measures, are not being heard."
Recent proposals, he wrote, left him "with little doubt that the
Government has no intention of treating asylum-seekers
humanely".
He told the Church Times: "There just a very big
disconnect: you can't give me a medal for doing what I am doing,
and at the same time treat these people the way you are. . .
"I have taken part in government consultations, and thought,
nothing is coming back - the situation is actually being made
worse. In many ways, my participating seemed like window-dressing.
But it's not just the Conservatives. All of the parties are
fighting shy of even mentioning the word 'asylum', because they
know it's a vote loser."