Britain's migrant crisis response criticised

London, Oct 12: Britain's top former judges and lawyers have criticised the government's response to the ongoing migrant crisis, a media report said on Monday.

Britain's former Supreme Court head Nicholas Phillips and former director of Public Prosecutions of England and Wales Ken Macdonald were among the 300 people to sign a letter on the issue.

According to the letter, the British government's offer to accept 20,000 refugees over five years was not enough, BBC reported.

The open letter to the press has been signed by more than 300 lawyers and retired judges. Other signatories include the former president of the European Court of Human Rights Nicolas Bratza,

"The letter reflects profound concern in the legal profession, including some of its most senior members, that the government lacks a coherent, just or humane response to the refugee crisis," said leading barrister Pushpinder Saini, who regularly advises and represents the government.

"The signatories of this letter include the most eminent and expert body of opinion concerning refugees in Britain. We have advanced a set of carefully considered proposals."

The letter also called for the suspension of the so-called Dublin system, which forces asylum seekers to claim asylum in the first European Union country in which they arrive.

Stephen Sedley, former Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal, said the government's current offer to accept Syrian refugees was "wholly inadequate".

"As a stable and prosperous country, we can do better than this," he added.

The first of the Syrian refugees arrived in Britain at the end of September.

IANS