Labour having to tackle ‘chaos’ in the asylum system, says Yvette Cooper – UK politics live | Politics

Jamie Grierson

Supporting Brexit is not a belief that is protected from workplace discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled, as a former Ukip councillor lost her claim that she was bullied and harassed by her charity employer because she supported the UK’s departure from the EU.

Colette Fairbanks was sacked from her job at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity Change Grow Live after sharing “offensive” posts about immigrants on social media, a tribunal hearing was told.

Fairbanks argued that her political views were philosophical beliefs protected by the Equality Act. These included a belief the UK should be outside of the EU, an opposition to illegal migration and being happy to leave the European convention on human rights.

However the tribunal found that these were not beliefs that were protected by the Equality Act. Wanting to leave the EU was an opinion rather than a philosophical belief

Read more from Jamie Grierson here: Pro-Brexit views not protected from workplace discrimination, tribunal rules

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has told listeners of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that she believes stronger action is needed on the ability for people to work illegally in the UK.

Asked about criticism from mayors in northern France that it is very easy for people crossing the Channel to find work and homes in Britain, which acts to draw them, Cooper said:

I think some of the points they’ve been making is about illegal working in the UK. I have to say, I do believe that we do need stronger action on illegal working in the UK.

We’ve seen employers exploit migration, and that’s why, since the Labor government was elected, we’ve increased some of the immigration enforcement visits by around 20% over the summer.

We are increasing returns. So enforced returns again up nearly 20% since the election compared to the previous year. Eeturns have gone up to around 10,000 since the election. And this is about really saying that the rules should be respected and enforced.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has faced a long interview on the BBC Radio 4 about the government’s immigration plans, and said the government is having to tackle “chaos in the UK asylum system.”

Cooper says she believed that Labour’s policies could make a difference. She said:

If you go back five or six years, we didn’t have these dangerous boat crossings happening in the Channel. What’s happened is criminal gangs have been allowed to take hold and create an entire criminal industry.

So we are determined to go after the supply chains, to go after the boats, to go after the engines, but also to go after the gangs themselves. They’ve been allowed to get away with it for too long.

She said the government was “strengthening the enforcement arrangements around the rules, strengthening systems around returns and tackling the chaos in the UK asylum system.”

“We think that can make a difference,” she said, and said there was international co-operation, adding:

I think what people really, across the UK, but also across Europe, want to see is strong border security and also a properly controlled and managed, fair asylum system.

So that those who fled persecution do get support, but those who actually have no right to be in different countries do face proper enforcement of the rules

And we don’t have any of those systems in place at the moment, both here and across Europe, and that’s the action we’re determined to take.

Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics for Friday. Here are the headlines …

It is Martin Belam with you today. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.