The Labour Party could have made the case for a humane immigration system that treats refugees with dignity. Instead it has fanned the flames of racism and emboldened the far right.

I have visited Calais many times. On each occasion, I learn more about the meaning of human resilience. Having fled the horrors of war, environmental disaster, and destitution, refugees in Calais have gone through hell in search of a place of safety. Upon arrival, their search goes on. Children beg for water, contaminated by feces. Rats scurry into people’s muddied tents. Mothers cry for the futures their sons and daughters could have had. Evictions are carried out daily by the French authorities; tents, blankets, identity papers, mobile phones, clothes, and medicines are confiscated or destroyed.

Those who a

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