Leaders sign up to asylum pledge ahead of second debate
The leaders have pledged to offer protection to refugees
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Party leaders have signed a pre-second election debate pledge to "never play fast and loose" with the UK's commitment to offering asylum.
Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and hundreds of other parliamentary candidates have signed up to the pledge organised through a collaboration between three refugee organisations.
Liberty, a cross-party national council for civil liberties, along with the Refugee Council and the Scottish Refugee Council penned the Asylum Election Pledge and urged politicians to sign it.
The pledge states that there is no room for "racism and xenophobia in modern British politics". It asks the signatories to accept that "no democratic debate is advanced by the denigration of the most vulnerable in our country" and to remember those who do not have the right to vote in elections.
The pledge declares: "I promise to remember the importance of refugee protection, even in free and wide-ranging debates about immigration policy. I will never play hard and loose with the proud tradition of a nation that must always offer succour to those in genuine fear of persecution."
Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, said: "It is very good news that even in the heat of election battle, all three leaders have promised to honour the importance of refugee protection.
"No one should underestimate the ocean of common decency in Britain and we intend to hold our politicians to this proud tradition."
A Lib Dem spokesperson said the party "fully support" Liberty's efforts to put together the pledge.
He said: "It is important to keep the issue of immigration separate from our proud tradition of providing sanctuary to the world's oppressed.
"That is why the Liberal Democrats want to take the politics out of the issue of asylum by taking responsibility away from the Home Office and giving it to an independent agency."
The pledge will be open until May 6th and Liberty will be campaigning to get the public to urge their MPs to sign up.
The top countries of origin for refugees coming to the UK in 2009 were Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Iran, China, Sri Lanka, and Eritrea. The UK is home to less than two per cent of the world's refugees, with 80 per cent living in developing countries.
The second live televised debate between Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg - on foreign affairs - will be broadcast on Sky News tonight.