Asylum seekers told rape and harassment illegal in UK in new Home Office booklet

The Home Office said: "We expect everyone who comes to the UK to abide by our laws. If they do not, they will face consequences, including the refusal of their asylum claim and removal from the UK."

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants behave in a civilised way towards women, they should be deported."

Philp called for deportations of asylum seekers, rather than attempting to change existing behaviour.

"Immigrants are coming from places and societies where attitudes towards women can be completely incompatible with Western society," he said.

"Too many communities are failing to properly integrate and become part of our culture, leaving frankly backwards standards to prevail."

In a two minute video posted on social media, Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf labelled the document "a disgrace", saying: "I genuinely cannot believe what I have just read.

"The government has just published a handy guide for illegal migrants on how not to be a rapist, not to be a paedophile, how not to beat women and how to leave babies alone.

"That again may be really hard to believe but that is exactly what they have just done."

A Labour spokesperson declined to comment. The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party were contacted for comment.

Jacqueline McKenzie, head of immigration and asylum law at Leigh Day, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the material from the Home Office is "problematic, it's inflammatory but done well it could be useful".

"Something that could be quite good if done well and not done in a patronising way could be useful, but I'm very suspicious at the fact that the government has put this in the public domain."

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne told the same programme that the government was "finally recognising that there's an issue" but questioned what action would be taken.

The Conservative politician said: "Giving somebody a pamphlet saying 'Be a good boy and don't blow kisses at girls in this country and, by the way, girls and women have to say yes if you approach them' is not going to cure something that is societal, it's a cultural issue."

Louise Calvey, executive director of the Asylum Matters charity, said: "By singling out people seeking sanctuary as in particular need of basic instruction not to commit abuse or sexual violence, the government is fuelling hostility, suspicion and racism, instead of doing any real work to promote understanding or safety."