HUNDREDS of academic experts signed a joint letter today, condemning the Tory government’s anti-asylum seeker Bill as “not evidence based, workable or legal under human rights law.”

More than 300 scholars from mostly British universities warned that the Illegal Migration Bill will not stop small boats crossing the Channel but would increase “the chance of death” as people are funnelled into more dangerous journeys.

The letter – published online and in The Times newspaper – called the legislation, which cleared its first Commons hurdle on Monday, a “deterrence approach” by ministers in response to increasing numbers fleeing war and persecution. 

But the experts warned that there is “no evidence that we are aware of to suggest that deterrence-based approaches are effective.”

They pointed to Australia, where government attempts to deter boat arrivals with offshore detention has failed to “stop the boats” or break people smuggling networks.

Instead, the widely condemned approach had resulted in “enormous financial costs” to Australian taxpayers, the violation of international laws and numerous legal challenges, the letter stressed. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been widely criticised for claiming the “tough but fair” legislation will actually protect taxpayers. 

The letter said: “Because the [British government’s] policy will not stop the boats, it is not workable.

“A large and growing population of people who would otherwise have a strong case for asylum will be turned into ‘illegal immigrants.’

“They will be detained or housed in hotels or army barracks at great expense to the state, with no clear mechanism to resolve their status.

“In many cases – for example, Afghan, Syrian and Eritrean asylum-seekers – it will not be possible to return them to their country of origin.

“There is already a large body of research evidencing the consequences of maintaining a vulnerable population of people in a state of deportability, poverty and destitution.

“At least one consequence is that these people become extremely vulnerable to exploitation and forced labour.”

Hundreds of asylum-seeking children have gone missing from Home Office-requisitioned hotels across Britain in recent months, prompting fears they are being targeted by organised criminal gangs. 

The letter concluded with a warning that the Bill will be “counter to all evidence on forced migration journeys” as well as being “illegal and immoral, unworkable and flawed on its own terms.”