In Westminster: Our housewarming card to Andy Burnham

By September 14, 2026September 16th, 2026Blog post, Housing, London, Past campaign, Refugee Voices
Campaigners cheering outside parliament with signs. One of the says "asylum means safety"

We did it! We took our housewarming card to Number 10, with more than 8,450 of your names backing our calls.  

Our message couldn’t be clearer: every new beginning deserves a warm welcome. It’s time to create that for people seeking safety, and scrap the cruel new asylum bill.  

You can see what we got up to in Westminster in the gallery below. Scroll through our photos.

Campaigners gather on the lawn at parliament square with Big Ben behind them. They are holding a giant version of the housewarming card which says "every new beginning deserves a warm welcome"

Every new beginning deserves a warm welcome. That's why we created a housewarming card for the Prime Minister. Will he now create welcome for people seeking safety?

A group of campaigners are chanting down the camera lense. There's lots of energy in this photos. They hold signs which say "asylum means safety" and "The key to a better asylum system" which is written on a sign shaped like a key.

We spent the afternoon in Westminster with our signs and placards, chanting "say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here".

Three women are smiling powrfully at the camera, holding out the folder which says "8450 people signed our housewarming card to the PM calling on him to scrap the immigration and asylum bill and create welcome for all".

Campaigners wrote the card to the new Prime Minister, which said "Moving into Number 10 marks the beginning of your new chapter. For many of us at RAS Voice, starting over in Britain came after losing the homes, lives, and futures we once knew. The refugee journey is one of leaving everything familiar behind in search of safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild."

Jonathan is beaming down the camera with such a big gin. He is wearing a refugee action tshirt, and holding a sign which says "Honk if you stand with refugees".

Westminster is a busy place, and an ideal place to engage passersby in our message. Jonathan is a campaigner at Refugee Action who helps organise RAS Voice campign groups.

Campaigners are gathered on Parliament Square with Big Ben behind them, all holding signs. One of the signs says "say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here"

We took our campaign to Parliament Square, which was filled with other campaigners who were campaigning for better asylum housing as part of the Homes For All coalition, which we are part of.

Campaigners changing in Parliament Square with Big Ben behind them. They are all holding signs, and are clearly animated and full of energy.

Our housewarming gift to Andy Burnham is one simple message: Please scrap the Immigration and Asylum Bill, and build a system that welcomes people seeking safety and helps create stronger communities for everyone.

Three women are smiling powrfully at the camera, holding out the folder which says "8450 people signed our housewarming card to the PM calling on him to scrap the immigration and asylum bill and create welcome for all".

Campaigners outside Number 10 holding our folder of all the names of our supporters who co-signed the housewarming card.

Cars drive past as Bronya holds a sign in the air which says "honk if you stand with refugees". Shes smiling down the camera, and wearing a black jumpsuit with pink shoes.

Bronya is our Digital Communications and Brand Manager. She often organises our days to Westminster, where she believes it is powerful to take our message to the place where decisions are made.

Jonathan and his fellow campaigner look elated, waving signs which say "a key to a better asylum system". Big ben is behind the,

While we chanted "say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here" people walking by joined in.

Campaigners cheering outside parliament with signs. One of the says "asylum means safety"

We’re proud that over 8,450 Refugee Action supporters co-signed our card to Andy Burnham.

Now it’s up to Andy Burnham to listen. He’s currently supporting the Immigration and Asylum bill. 

This is a bill that would make life even harder for people seeking safety. That must change. He must scrap it. 

You can read the full text in our card below:

Dear Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, 

Welcome to your new home. 

We are a group of campaigners who have been forced to seek safety in the UK. Our housewarming gift to you is one simple message: Please scrap the Immigration and Asylum Bill, and build a system that welcomes people seeking safety and helps create stronger communities for everyone. 

Moving into Number 10 marks the beginning of your new chapter. For many of us at RAS Voice, starting over in Britain came after losing the homes, lives, and futures we once knew. The refugee journey is one of leaving everything familiar behind in search of safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild. 

We remember meeting you in 2019 at an event in Manchester, where you spoke passionately about our city of welcome and about the importance of ensuring that people arriving here are treated with dignity and compassion. 

That is why we are writing with deep concern following your support for the Immigration and Asylum Bill. It is difficult to reconcile this decision with the support and solidarity you have previously shown to refugee communities. We are concerned that these measures risk causing further hardship to people who have already endured so much. 

We are particularly asking you to reconsider the plan to make people who have been granted asylum repay up to £10,000 for their accommodation and support. People are already prevented from working while their claims are considered. Asking people who have finally found safety to begin their new lives with significant debt risks pushing newly recognised refugees into poverty at the very moment they are trying to rebuild. Can you imagine starting your life in Number 10 with that debt hanging over your head? 

We believe Britain needs an asylum system founded on dignity, fairness, and evidence. As people who have rebuilt our lives here after fleeing conflict and persecution, we ask you to show the compassionate leadership we know you are capable of. 

Please scrap the bill and create a country of welcome. 

Yours sincerely, 

RAS Voice – supported by Refugee Action and 8,450+ co-signed names who support us.

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