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LGBT migrant charity that claims British state kills asylum seekers pockets almost £1million of lottery money
Rainbow Migration, a UK charity supporting LGBT+ people seeking asylum, received £952,000 from National Lottery funds in 2023 and 2024 for staffing and core costs, according to its accounts. The funding has drawn criticism from Conservative politicians, who say lottery money should not support the charity’s campaigning on migration policy.
The charity campaigns against detention of LGBT+ asylum seekers and has criticised the UK’s migration system, including claims that state policies can lead to asylum seekers being harmed or killed. Its work includes helping people with asylum applications; international law bars deportation where someone faces a risk of persecution, torture or death. LGBT+ asylum claims rose by 90 per cent from 2021 to 2023, reaching 1,400, while the National Lottery Community Fund defended the work of its grant holders.
In short
- Rainbow Migration received £952,000 in lottery funding over two years.
- Conservative politicians criticised the charity’s campaigning.
- LGBT+ asylum claims reached 1,400 in 2023.
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The case for
Supporters can argue that lottery funding helps a specialist charity provide practical support to people facing serious risks, including help navigating asylum claims and access to services. They may see campaigning against detention and harmful policies as part of addressing the conditions that make this support necessary, and consider the grant consistent with the fund’s role in backing community work.
The case against
Critics can argue that public lottery funds should support direct services rather than an organisation that also campaigns on contested migration policy. They may consider that campaigning risks blurring the line between charitable assistance and political advocacy, and that grants should be allocated in ways that maintain public confidence in the fund’s neutrality.