Ministers under pressure to rip up soft Home Office rules on staff dealing with asylum seekers’ claims

MINISTERS are under pressure to rip up soft Home Office rules ordering staff not to be sceptical about asylum seekers’ claims.

Assessors are also told that a lie by a claimant should not mean their application is booted out.

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Ministers are under pressure to rip up soft Home Office rules ordering staff not to be sceptical about asylum seekers’ claims[/caption]

Some Tory MPs rounded on the Government over guidance stating migrants are not obliged to answer questions they find “upsetting”.

There is also concern over the use of video call interviews rather than face-to-face grillings by assessors.

Ex-Cabinet Minister David Davis said: “The case workers should be deeply sceptical and be on the look-out for fraud and abuse.”

An extra 700 case workers are being recruited — bringing the total to 2,500 — in a bid to clear the backlog of 170,000 claims.

Guidance tells the officials to use non-threatening body language — such as keeping arms uncrossed and smiling when deemed appropriate.

They are also told asylum seekers do not have to prove their sexual orientation if they claim to be fleeing persecution on the grounds of being bisexual, gay or lesbian.

By law, claimants cannot be probed about their sexual preferences or activity.

Tory MP Marco Longhi, who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “This guidance shows how utterly broken our system is.”

The Home Office said its processes ensure “claims are properly considered”.