High Court ruling is a victory for human decency.

Liberty, has welcomed today's High Court ruling which has blocked plans to deny asylum seekers access to food and shelter. The Home Office proposals would have led to late asylum applicants being denied state-provided services. As they are also not be entitled to seek legitimate employment, the likelihood of serious illness or death was substantial.

The case was brought by the Refugee Legal Centre on behalf of six asylum seekers and will affect the cases of more than one hundred other asylum seekers who had begun similar legal action.

Shami Chakrabarti, Liberty's in-house counsel, said:

"This is an important victory for human decency. This country has a proud history of being a safe haven for those seeking asylum from tyrannical regimes across the world. To deny individuals access to food and shelter and potentially leave them to starve or freeze to death on Britain's streets is a degrading, humiliating and wholly unacceptable policy. The Home Secretary needs to think again."