Suella Braverman’s speech on immigration to a right-wing US thinktank has been branded “deeply ignorant and offensive” by her political rivals.

The Scottish Greens even compared the Home Secretary to Enoch Powell, the former Tory MP who was thrown out of the shadow cabinet in 1968 for his inflammatory “rivers of blood” speech.

There has also been pushback from some of her own colleagues, though others on the right of the party threw their weight behind her. 

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In her speech at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC , the Home Secretary questioned whether the United Nations Refugee Convention, created in 1951 and which forms the basis of the global asylum system, is still “fit for our modern age.”

She said the international community had “collectively failed to explore any serious reform of the global asylum framework,” in part because of the “fear of being branded a racist or illiberal.”

Ms Braverman said a “misguided dogma of multiculturalism” had allowed people to come to the UK with the aim of “undermining the stability and threatening the security of society”.

She said uncontrolled and illegal migration was an "existential challenge for the political and cultural institutions of the West."

The Tory minister said migration to the UK and Europe in the last 25 years “has been too much, too quick, with too little thought given to integration and the impact on social cohesion.

“If cultural change is too rapid and too big, then what was already there is diluted. Eventually it will disappear,” she added.

She also claimed there was a “disproportionate allowance” being made for economic migrants to be classed as refugees.

She also said the definition of refugee has “expanded beyond what is a reasonable and sustainable approach.”

Ms Braverman then went on to say anti-gay laws in an asylum seeker’s origin country was not reason enough for them to be granted refuge in the UK

"Let me be clear, there are vast swathes of the world where it is extremely difficult to be gay, or to be a woman,” she said. “Where individuals are being persecuted, it is right that we offer sanctuary.

"But we will not be able to sustain an asylum system if in effect, simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify for protection.”

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Andrew Boff, a Tory member on the London Assembly and patron of the LGBT+ Tories, told the BBC: "I have confidence that her dog whistles won't be heard internationally so she should spend her time on sorting out the appalling backlog of asylum claims rather than distracting us by victim blaming."

The SNP’s Justice and Immigration spokesperson, Chris Stephens said Ms Braverman’s “deeply ignorant and offensive” comments proved that she was ”unfit for office.”

“Our immigration system should welcome with open arms women or LQBT+ people who are fleeing war-torn countries or places where they face persecution - instead the Tories and the Labour party are too concerned with their obsession of deporting and dehumanising refugees.

“Instead of attacking the rights of refugees, the Home Secretary should be addressing the real issues in the asylum system, such as the record backlog, providing safe routes for those in need of protection, including refugee visas, resettlement and family reunion schemes.”

Green MSP Maggie Chapman called it one of the ”most grotesque and abhorrent speeches that has ever been given by a UK minister.”

She said it was “reminiscent of Enoch Powell and the politics of hate.”

“What the Home Secretary is calling for would punish extremely vulnerable people and undo decades of convention and work and protections that were agreed over 70 years ago.

“With the anti-refugee bill and deportation flights to Rwanda, the Tories were already building an utterly brutal, authoritarian and anti-human migration system. These proposals would make it even worse.”

Labour’s Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, said Ms Braverman “has so lost grip of Tory asylum chaos, she is targeting & scapegoating LGBT people.”

She added: “Deeply divisive, damaging political game playing - unworthy of her office. Instead of blaming people persecuted in places like Uganda for who they love, she should sort chaos at home.”

Tory MP Scott Benton said Ms Braverman was "absolutely spot on", adding that "she's right to highlight the need for reform and the British public are with her on this issue and so many others".