THE devastating coronavirus crisis here in Britain and across Europe has sparked increasing examples of racism and xenophobia towards Chinese and other Asian communities. Sadly this has included violent attacks on our streets.

On the international stage, this is mirrored by a refusal to learn from China, Vietnam and other Asian countries in terms of their approach to helping contain the virus and most obviously by President Trump’s stubborn insistence on referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” in press conferences that are televised all around the world.

The left and labour movement need to be absolutely clear that the global far-right’s increasing use of anti-Chinese and anti-migrant rhetoric is a classic case of divide and rule, aimed at turning workers against each other.

As this crisis has developed the government has still remained tied to its “hostile environment” approach to migrants, including a refusal to allow migrants a recourse to public funds, even in these exceptional circumstances.

This policy of no recourse to public funds is not only barbaric, it also presents a major public health issue — putting vulnerable people at greater risk of contracting coronavirus through lack of support also puts the rest of us in more danger of contracting the virus.

It is particularly unjustifiable given that most migrants are in working households, meaning that they already pay taxes. No-one should have to pay twice. This of course includes NHS workers, carers and many more besides who make a key contribution to our collective well-being.

With this context in mind, I recently outlined five commitments to defend Labour’s fair and reasonable policies on migration that I believe our party and movement must collectively stand by in the period ahead. This is a key part of being an effective opposition to the Tories and standing up for the 99 per cent.

The commitments are as follows:

1) Refugees welcome here

This country must live up to its legal and moral obligations to refugees and people seeking asylum. We need to end the foreign military interventions, the climate crisis and conflicts which drive people out of their homes. We should welcome our fair share of refugees and their families and allow them to work here. We need to establish safe and legal routes for refugees.

Under Boris Johnson the Tories are refusing to meet our international obligations to refugees, including child refugees, which could hardly be more inhumane.

2) No breaking promises to the Windrush generation and the “EU 3 Million”

We must end the Windrush scandal, repeal the 2014 Immigration Act and end the Tories’ hostile environment. Proper compensation for the Windrush victims is needed now, and it should be put on a statutory basis. The EU 3 Million came here with specific legal rights under Freedom of Movement. We must uphold their rights for as long as they remain. We are also for levelling up those rights, so that British citizens too can bring spouses here without a minimum income requirement.

The time has come for the government to stop dragging its feet and allow justice to the victims of the Windrush scandal. We must make sure it never happens again and end the “hostile environment” that led to it.

3) Treating migrant workers fairly

The Tories will try once again to use migrant workers to create divisions. Labour must oppose them by defending the same rights to all workers. This includes rights to a family life, access to public funds, rights to organise in the workplace. We are against immigration detention, family break-up and are for rights of appeal in immigration cases to be restored.

In this crisis a growing number of people realise how much more we can achieve by working together and through our values of community, solidarity and co-operation. We must continue to understand that our unity is strength and not let the racists divide us.

4) Recognising the great contribution migrants make

We reject all numerical targets as unworkable. We also reject all arbitrary income thresholds for migrants which will cause damaging staff shortages. Instead we need a rational immigration system which welcomes migrants who have a right to be here and those who can make a great contribution to our society. That contribution of migrants should be celebrated.

To give just one obvious example, recent weeks have rightly seen our NHS workers praised across society for the contribution they are making to try and keep us all well and safe during the coronavirus crisis. To put it simply, our NHS couldn’t have been built — or survive today — without the great contribution migrants make, and everyone should recognise this.

5) No demonisation of migrants, or anyone on grounds of nationality or skin colour or religion

We oppose all racism, xenophobia and demonisation of people either because of their nationality or their skin colour or their religion. The Tories will increase scapegoating for the mess they will make of the economy and the attack on living standards. We will be clear that racism is unacceptable in every form, and that we will not make any concession to scapegoating.

Migrants have too often been made scapegoats for a failed system, and so are people who are perceived to be migrants, even if they and their families have been here for generations as we witnessed with the Windrush scandal. Therefore, at these difficult times, the traditional rallying cry of the labour movement that “an injury to one is an injury to all” is more important than ever.

To conclude, the volume of anti-migrant and scapegoating rhetoric has been turned up in recent years to deflect attention from the effect of the Tory government’s failed austerity policies. Under Boris Johnson’s leadership all the signs are that it will increase further, as the government looks for reasons for its failure to tackle numerous challenges facing our country and the world.

Moving forward, the Labour Party and the entire labour movement must stand up firmly in opposition to this and there can be no turning back on our anti-racist principles.

Diane Abbott is the shadow home secretary and MP for Hackney North.