Peter Walker : One small but notable sign of the rightward shift in UK politics in recent years is the use of “illegal migrants” for asylum seekers who arrive unofficially. It’s a dehumanising term which was popularised by the hard right and is now - as here - used repeatedly in Home Office press releases.

One small but notable sign of the rightward shift in UK politics in recent years is the use of “illegal migrants” for asylum seekers who arrive unofficially. It’s a dehumanising term which was popularised by the hard right and is now - as here - used repeatedly in Home Office press releases.