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		Euro-parliament opens immigration floodgate Wednesday, 23 October 2002 Yesterday in Strasbourg the European parliament voted through the Lambert report on immigration, with the support of Labour and Lib-Dem MEPs. Conservatives opposed it. It will massively increase the number of people world-wide entitled to claim refugee status. It broadens the basis of refugee status from "a well-founded fear of persecution", to a general concern about a wide range of possible adverse circumstances or negative treatment. For example AIDS carriers could claim to fear persecution in their home country in order to justify refugee status in Britain. According to the report, applicants making contradictory statements should be given the benefit of the doubt. The report states that in determining refugee status, "suspicion" that an applicant has committed war crimes is not sufficient grounds for refusing a claim - there has to be "certainty". Speaking in Strasbourg after the vote, East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: "Many East Midlands voters are concerned about the large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in the UK. They will be horrified that the European parliament proposes this wholesale relaxation of the rules. Already according to UNESCO, around 23 million people around the world are entitled to refugee status. This could more than double if this report is implemented. In effect, almost anyone could find grounds for an asylum claim, which would be very difficult to challenge or refute".