Asylum pair seeking capital gain

A FIGHT by two asylum seekers to stay in the UK reached yet another landmark as they took their case to corridors of parliament.

Armed with a petition boasting 2,000 signatures, Abdoulaye Diabate, originally from the Ivory Coast, and Taha Ghasemi, from Iran, travelled to London to meet Oldham MPs Debbie Abrahams and Michael Meacher.

Backed by the Oldham Unitarian Chapel, the men, who claim to have been tortured in their home countries, hope the Home Office will grant them permission to stay on compassionate grounds following submission of the petition.

Bob Pounder, the minister for Oldham Unitarian Chapel, said: “We are receiving great support from the MPs, from our supporters and members of other Unitarian churches throughout the country.

“These two men are absolutely destitute and living on the fringes of society, they’ve basically got nothing.”

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “Both of these individuals have been found to have no right to remain in the UK by both the UK Border Agency and an immigration judge and should leave the UK immediately.”