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A man who needs to be told rape is wrong should not be allowed in Britain | James Hanson
Aug 22, 2026
'A man who needs to be told rape is wrong should not be allowed in Britain', says James Hanson.
If Labour believes there is an increased risk of asylum seekers committing violent sexual crimes, why are we letting them into the country before we've had a chance to establish their identity and immigration status?
When was the last time you had to be told not to rape someone?
Well, it's spelled out in black and white in the Home Office's new advice booklet for asylum seekers. The official nine-page document also tells migrants not to make sexual remarks about someone "even if you think it is a compliment" and that women are allowed to "make their own decisions about their lives".
James goes on to say that Britain needs to confront an uncomfortable truth that every year we are welcoming tens of thousands of undocumented migrants, largely young men, from countries whose attitudes towards women are alarmingly backwards. To pretend that doesn't pose an increased risk of serious sexual offences is to deny reality.
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
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0:00
Look, I understand the argument. I've heard quite a lot this week from people who say
0:03
that it is disingenuous to claim that there is a specific issue with
0:07
asylum seekers when it comes to sexual crimes. Now, respectfully, I disagree with that and I'll
0:13
come on to that in a moment, but I understand the argument that there is a broader issue and that maybe we would be doing a wider societal benefit if we double down on our efforts to try
0:22
and address violence against women and girls, which is obviously far too high. And we do have
0:27
an issue with rising levels of misogyny and we do have an ongoing issue with sexual violence
0:32
which is largely, not exclusively, but overwhelmingly committed by men and we need to address that
0:40
But I think it is slightly disingenuous when you hear some on the left trying to reframe this
0:46
conversation as, oh no, no, there's not an issue actually here about some asylum seekers
0:52
this is an issue about men. I think we need to confront an uncomfortable truth
0:59
which is that there have been too many cases, sadly, of some, not all, some asylum seekers
1:06
committing heinous acts of sexual violence. And if even the government is saying
1:11
look, these people are coming from very different cultures where the rights of women are not in any way equivalent
1:17
to the rights of women here. They're coming from war-torn countries very often
1:22
they're coming and it's largely young men. I mean, frankly, we can see it on the images we see on our television screens
1:28
of the people on these, I was going to say small boats, but in recent weeks we've seen these increasingly big mega dinghies
1:35
It is largely young men. And so I think we need to address an uncomfortable truth
1:41
that there is an issue, that they do need to be... I don't know whether you think it's appropriate for them to be told
1:47
in such explicit terms with this booklet that rape is wrong. I mean, do you genuinely think that is a conversation that needs to be had
1:56
Surely everyone has enough of a moral compass to understand that rape is wrong
2:00
If you're fleeing Afghanistan, rape is illegal in Afghanistan. You should know it is wrong there
2:07
Why would you think it is right here? And yet, clearly there are some people, not all, I cannot stress this enough
2:15
I'm not trying to tar all asylum seekers with the same brush because the vast majority are coming here because they want to start a better life
2:21
But there has been an uncomfortable trend in recent years of story after story of asylum seekers who, while here, very often while being put up at the taxpayers' expense, committing heinous acts of sexual violence
2:35
And I do think it is slightly disingenuous when people on the left try and reframe this as an issue around male sexual violence, which is a problem, is a massive problem
2:46
and I will support you in any efforts to address it, but that is a separate issue
2:53
And I think we are getting into the realms of whataboutery when you talk about the issue of some asylum seekers
3:01
perpetrating horrendous acts of sexual violence and your response is, but it's all men
3:08
Of course there is an issue with male sexual violence but I do think there is a specific issue that needs to be addressed with male sexual violence perpetrated by some asylum seekers
3:23
03456060973 is the number. Now what makes this difficult is that the Ministry of Justice does not take any official figures on this
3:31
It does not record crime by immigration status. Now I think there's a case that they should do so
3:37
Now, some more conspiratorially minded people would say the reason they don't do that is because the figures would produce some uncomfortable results
3:45
But I think in the interest of transparency, it would be worthwhile the Ministry of Justice recording crime by immigration status
3:55
particularly when it comes to people who are still having their asylum claims processed
3:59
because then if, as some, for example, refugee charities claim, it is just a right-wing smear to allege that there might be a link
4:07
between certain crimes and asylum seekers, then we could debunk it. And if there is an issue to be addressed
4:14
then we could come up with policy solutions to tackle it. But where there has been some academic research
4:19
I'm afraid the results have been rather uncomfortable. So Madeleine Sumption from Oxford University's Migration Observatory
4:29
This is not some right-wing think tank. This is the University of Oxford's highly respected migration observatory
4:36
Said recently that she calculates Afghan nationals are 14 and a half times more likely to commit sexual offences than British nationals
4:47
And of course Afghanistan, along with other war-torn countries like Sudan and Iran and Syria
4:52
accounts for thousands of small boats arrivals each year. But the problem is when you put such figures
4:59
to people who, for example, work for refugee charities, very often they simply do not accept it
5:07
Take a listen to this. On my LBC News show earlier this week
5:10
I put those figures from the Migration Observatory that Afghan nationals are 14 and a half times more likely
5:16
to commit sexual offences than British nationals to Maria Wilby from the charity Migrant Action
5:22
I have no idea about the study. I couldn't possibly comment on whether or not that's real
5:27
I'd be very interested to look at it. You know, I would question why somebody would look at that
5:33
and what their data collection was like and whether or not that had been properly checked
5:39
and given ethical approval. That sounds like a very dodgy study. Well, that's the University of Oxford. That's the Migration Observatory, a very respected institution
5:47
I'd love to look at it. And if that's true, obviously, then sure, talk to people, but don't give them a leaflet in English and expect them to be able to have a good conversation about those things
5:59
You know, we recently ran a programme specifically for our clients alongside our council and alongside our police, where we had a really lovely engagement round a table with food, talking openly and safely
6:15
And people were told, you can ask anything and this is not going to be taken any further
6:20
And people really genuinely wanted to know and understand. And that the way that things should be done But you know it is absolutely the case that the majority of our clients have fled those same things that this lethalet implies that they might commit
6:37
So, you know, if you are a young male migrant and you pass through Libya, you will probably have been detained, tortured and used as a sex slave
6:46
You know, that is to discuss those details with people in this way
6:52
could be really triggering for them. Maria will be there from the charity Migrant Action
6:56
Now, my issue with Maria's response, when I put to her that research
7:01
that calculation by the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory that Afghan nationals are 14 and a half times more likely
7:07
than British nationals to commit sexual offences, is, first of all, she wasn't aware of it
7:13
which I think if you work in that area, is a bit of a dereliction of duty
7:17
Secondly, she said, why would someone even look at that? Well, wouldn't you look into whether there is an increased risk of some asylum seekers from certain countries, certain cultures being more likely to commit certain types of offences
7:32
Because maybe having that information at your fingertips would lead you to a policy solution to reduce the number of offences that are being committed
7:42
Why would you immediately cast out on the validity of that being a point of academic research
7:48
At one point, she described it as a dodgy sounding study. where this comes from the University of Oxford's
7:53
highly respected Migration Observatory. I don't think it's dodgy, is it, to look into that
7:59
0345 6060 973. So look, I take the point. Got messages coming in already from people saying
8:05
there is a broader issue with violence against women and girls. Look at all the white men that commit rape and sexual offences
8:11
No one's denying that. But that is whataboutery, is it not? And do we not need to confront an uncomfortable reality
8:21
that, you know, we have just had too many stories of asylum seekers
8:27
who are waiting for their claims to be processed, committing heinous acts of sexual violence
8:33
to deny that there isn't some increased risk. And this is not for one moment me saying it's all asylum seekers
8:40
or that we should pull up the drawbridge. Clearly not. But we need to be honest with ourselves, do we not
8:48
Let me give you some of the recent cases. So there was a horrendous case recently of three men
8:54
earlier this year, all asylum seekers, found guilty of repeatedly raping a woman on Brighton Beach
9:00
After the attack, the men took a bus back to their asylum hotel, had a barbecue
9:04
One of them, a 20-year-old called Karin al-Danasert, is a convicted murderer who fled Egypt
9:10
because he was facing the death penalty. Now, one of the problems that we also have
9:15
in relation to asylum seekers and people who come here on small boats is that whilst we are processing their claims
9:22
while we are putting them up in asylum accommodation, they are seemingly free to roam in our communities
9:28
And while we're establishing who they are, let alone whether they should have the right to be here
9:33
and be given refugee status, whilst we establishing who they are should we be allowing them to roam free Because the point with Karan al that convicted murderer in Egypt is that we presumably did not know he was a convicted murderer
9:48
So while he is having his claim processed, while we are establishing who he even is
9:54
why would we allow them to roam free? That example of Brighton Beach is far from the only one
10:02
In January, an asylum seeker from Sudan was jailed for life for murdering a woman
10:05
who worked at his asylum hotel in Walsall. He stabbed his victim, Rhiannon White
10:10
23 times with a screwdriver. CCTV footage later showed him dancing and laughing in the hotel car park
10:18
He had arrived here on a small boat. In February, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan
10:23
was found guilty of abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton
10:28
He videoed his crime and laughed at his victim while attacking her
10:33
He, too, had arrived here on a small boat. Last December, two asylum seekers from Afghanistan were sentenced for raping a 15-year-old girl in Leamington Spa
10:43
They had arrived here on a small boat. There's the case of Hadish Kabartu from Ethiopia, who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping
10:51
while living at an asylum hotel that triggered protests. Once again, he had arrived here on a small boat
10:57
There's the asylum seeker of unknown nationality. He was convicted of raping a 20-year-old woman in a churchyard in Oxford
11:02
or the Sudanese national who was staying in an asylum hotel who strangled and tried to rape a woman in a nightclub toilet in Wakefield
11:09
or the Eritrean national jailed for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old or the Pakistani national who raped an 18-year-old woman in a park in Nottinghamshire
11:18
I could go on. The point I'm making is, are we just saying that these are one or two unfortunate cases
11:26
If you are making that claim, are you not sadly sticking your head in the sand
11:31
Do we not need to confront what the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory calculates
11:36
is the fact that some nationals, for example Afghan nationals, do have an increased risk
11:41
Now that does not mean you pull up the drawbridge. That does not mean you say, start treating every asylum seeker like a potential sexual predator
11:49
But it does mean that you change your approach, that you take certain precautions. And I think those who say that, well let's just issue these booklets warning asylum seekers not to rape or commit paedophilia
12:00
let's just issue those to all men, I think are engaging in whataboutery
12:06
And I think we need to have a serious conversation. I mean, look, I think this booklet is interesting
12:12
I'm a bit conflicted on what it tells us about the government's approach. The fact that they have acknowledged
12:17
that there are people coming here from different cultures where women's rights are not treated in the same way
12:22
and that we need to factor that in when we deal with some of these people arriving here
12:27
I think is just accepting reality. but it's what we should do as a result
12:34
Should we look at third country processing? Should we say, yes, we will take our fair share of asylum seekers
12:40
but the actual processing of your claim can be done in a different country
12:44
and then once we have approved your asylum application, once we've said, yes, you can be a refugee here, then we will take you
12:54
Is that a better solution? Right
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