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Suella Braverman has gone head-to-head with Sir\u00a0Elton John after she recently claimed that asylum seekers “pretend to be gay” in her latest outburst, with the singer accusing the Home Secretary of \u201clegitimising hate\u201d against LGBT+ people.<\/p>\n
Speaking to ITV\u2019s Anushka Asthana in a pre-recorded interview for Peston, Ms Braverman said that operational evidence suggested people seeking asylum were purporting to be gay to \u201cgame our system\u201d.<\/p>\n
She went on to add that a fear of discrimination for being homosexual or a woman should not be sufficient to qualify for refugee protection, which sparked a furious response from the Rocketman singer who hit back to say the Home Secretary was dismissing the danger these individuals faced.<\/p>\n
As the row escalated, the Home Secretary hit back and said: \u201cWell, I have huge admiration for Elton John, but what I would say is that we need to be, again, honest about what’s actually happening on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as I said in my speech, we need to be clear about what constitutes persecution\u2026 That’s not the same as discrimination, and I fully acknowledge that it is miserable and incredibly tough around parts of the world to be gay or to be a woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a victim of discrimination shouldn’t necessarily qualify you for asylum protection in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Suella Braverman has warned paedophiles are using AI to create sex abuse images<\/strong><\/p>\n Her comments did not go down well with the 76-year-old pop icon, who criticised her and said that he risked \u201cfurther legitimising hate and violence\u201d against LGBT+ people after she called for the \u201cdefinition of who qualifies for protection\u201d under refugee rules to be \u201ctightened\u201d in her recent speech.<\/p>\n Sir Elton responded to the comments in a joint statement posted to Instagram with his husband, David Furnish, and the Elton John Aids Foundation.<\/p>\n The statement said: \u201cWe are very concerned about the UK Home Secretary\u2019s comments stating how discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be reason enough to qualify for protection under international refugee laws.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> \u201cNearly a third of all nations class LGBTQ+ people as criminals and homosexuality is still punishable by death in 11 countries.<\/p>\n \u201cDismissing the very real danger LGBTQ+ communities face risks further legitimising hate and violence against them.<\/p>\n \u201cLeaders need to provide more compassion, support and acceptance for those seeking a safer future.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Last year 739 people were granted asylum when sexual orientation formed the basis of their claim, Home Office figures show.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, 285 were rejected. In the previous seven years officials granted 3,632 and rejected 6,472 similar applications – but nearly 2,000 of the refusals were overturned at appeal.<\/p>\n Following Ms Braverman\u2019s comments, the LGBT+ charity Stonewall tweeted to say that it was \u201cincredibly concerning\u201d to hear the Home Secretary stand against United Nations\u2019 conventions, adding that \u201cthe UK has a proud recent history of helping LGBTQ+ people fleeing persecution from the Taliban\u201d.<\/p>\n Leanne MacMillan, Director of Global at Stonewall, said: “The implication that LGBTQ+ and women asylum seekers are using their identities to falsely claim asylum en masse is unhelpful and unsound when viewed alongside statistics which clearly show that the majority of claims are valid and made by those who are at serious risk of violence.<\/p>\n “The UK has a proud recent history of helping LGBTQ+ people fleeing persecution from the Taliban and for standing up for LGBTQ+ rights on the global stage. This is the kind of global leadership we need to see, not a race to the bottom and turning our back on LGBTQ+ people in some of the world\u2019s most hostile contexts.”<\/p>\n
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