When was the last time you had to be told not to rape someone?

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Or not to have sex with a child? Or not to beat up your wife? You’d hope this would all go without saying, but 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”.

The government claims the guidance is required because some migrants have “different cultures” and need to “understand the expectations and the consequences if they break the law”. But doesn’t it raise a pretty fundamental question? 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?

Let’s be clear about this: the majority of asylum seekers are respectful and law-abiding. We shouldn’t stigmatise an entire group of people based on the actions of a few.

However, we also need to confront an uncomfortable........

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