A member of the Labour party who escaped from the Nazis during childhood is urging the Government to reconsider regulations that he believes are tearing Gaza families apart.
Lord Alf Dubs has penned a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging her to permit students to bring their spouses and children with them. Lord Dubs emphasized the dilemma faced by students admitted to UK universities who are forced to make a choice between their families and their academic futures.
The 92-year-old former child refugee, who arrived in the UK in 1939 as part of the Kindertransport rescue effort, expressed his personal experience, stating, “I understand the consequences of immigration policies that separate families.”
Reflecting on his own history, Lord Dubs highlighted the impact of only allowing children to come to safety, noting that 60% of those children never reunited with their parents. He commended the Government for enabling students from Gaza to pursue fully funded education in the UK, recognizing them as potential future leaders of their nation.
However, he criticized the current policy that prohibits students from bringing their dependents despite having the means to support them. Lord Dubs pointed out specific cases, such as Manar, who has been offered a fully funded PhD at Glasgow University but faces leaving her young children behind, and Loay, who received a fully funded Masters offer at Oxford University but cannot depart without his wife and infant.
Lord Dubs emphasized the relatively small number of affected individuals, estimating fewer than 25 children and spouses of eligible students, but stressed the enduring impact of family separation.
Recently, a cohort of 34 Palestinian students arrived in the UK to commence their studies after being evacuated from Gaza, marking the first such group since 2023.