Jon Featonby, the chief policy analyst at the Refugee Council, said: “The previous government tried and failed to put people off taking risky journeys by reducing the rights of refugees once they were in the UK, restricting both family reunion and settlement. This approach didn’t work then and there is no evidence to suggest it will work now. “Restricting family reunion only pushes more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones .. family reunion overwhelmingly supported women and children - who made up nine out of 10 visas granted through this route in the last year.”