The Scottish government has told Westminster to halt "unfair and inhumane" plans to cut financial support to refused asylum seekers and their families.

Under current rules, asylum seekers and their families who have had their application to stay in the UK rejected are entitled to some basic support, such as housing and a weekly allowance of around £36 per person.

Now UK ministers are reviewing this as part of moves to show Britain is "not a land of milk and honey", which is expected to lead to more stringent decisions being made on a case-by-case basis.

Scottish social justice secretary Alex Neil has written a latter to UK Immigration Minister James Brokenshire warning the plans are being rushed through and will lead to more vulnerable people becoming destitute.

The call came as David Cameron claimed yesterday that illegal immigrants are trying to "break in" to the UK - and defended his description of the flow of refugees across the Mediterranean as a "swarm".

The Prime Minister said many of those attempting to get into the UK were doing so for economic reasons and he was determined to make sure the border was secure.

He insisted that the UK had been "one of the most generous countries in Europe" for granting asylum to refugees fleeing persecution or danger.

The Prime Minister said his comments about a "swarm" of migrants were not intended "to dehumanise".

In his letter to Westminster, Neil said: "The proposals will cut support to some of the most vulnerable people in our society, who only receive that support because they would otherwise be destitute.

"The Scottish Government believes that the proposals, which seem designed to shift responsibility and cost onto other bodies, particularly local authorities, are wrong in principle.

"It is highly unlikely they will achieve their objective, and they will fundamentally undermine our efforts to create a fairer Scotland.

"That the proposals include families with children, without apparent safeguard for their safety and wellbeing is both shameful and immoral."

Neil pointed to a previous pilot project which tried to stop support to families who had reached the end of the asylum process, saying evaluations had found no significant increase in the numbers leaving the country and it pushed families with children into homelessness and destitution.

He also criticised the timing of the consultation on the proposals, which has been launched during parliamentary recess and will close after just five weeks.

Neil added: “Destitution should never be an outcome of the asylum system. When we talk about asylum seekers, we are not talking about objects we are first and foremost talking about vulnerable people, families, men, women and their children – people who have often been through great trauma and who deserve to be treated fairly and equally and with dignity and respect.

“We will continue to do all we can to campaign against these unfair and inhumane proposals.”

Gary Christie, head of policy and communications at the Scottish Refugee Council, said: “This attack on those whose claims are turned down, including many families already on the breadline, is unfair and dangerous. It is unfair because thousands of Home Office decisions on people's asylum claims later turn out to be incorrect. We know that around 30% of appeals against refusals are successful, a huge figure that affects many individuals and families.

"It is also unfair because many people are simply unable to return to their home country. They may be expected to return to a war zone or to a country whose government refuses to accept them."

He added: "The proposal is dangerous as it will force people into abject destitution, leaving them exposed to an increased risk of violence and exploitation on the streets."

The Sunday Herald could not contact anyone at the Home Office yesterday for comment.