Published: 13 July, 2012

• I WANTED to thank Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn, not just for the hard work and dedication he puts in but also for refusing to take the easy path.

I attended a meeting at Parliament this week on new rules covering the circumstances when UK citizens are allowed to bring into the country spouses born outside the EU.

Mr Corbyn spoke passionately and angrily about how this supposedly family-friendly government is determined to divide families. I needed to make sure he knew it was deeply appreciated.

I’m not a Labour Party member any more and am unlikely to ever rejoin the party, in part because of its disgraceful treatment of immigrants and refugees, but Mr Corbyn is a credit to his party and to Islington.

If you’re rich you can marry who you like, but if you’re even on average wages you can’t be united with your partner. We invite Filipinos to come here as nurses, but deny them the right to bring their children or husbands.

So often you hear immigrants are a drain on public services but the truth is immigrants often are our public services, which would collapse without them.

We should treat them with gratitude, dignity and humanity – not deny them the right to be with their loved ones.

Under the new rules, unless they are rich a UK citizen who marries someone from outside the EU can settle their family almost anywhere on the globe, except here.

Is it a crime to love someone not born within the European Union?

If only more MPs from all parties were like Mr Corbyn the world would be a little less inhumane.

JIM JEPPS
NW1