Contributions
1,438 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsA border security Bill will be introduced. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will want to serve on the Committee, so that he can be certain that the points he just made are accurately…06 Nov 2024HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsYes, my hon. Friend’s constituents can be assured that a great deal of work is going on and more resources are being applied. A lot more intelligence is being gathered, much of…06 Nov 2024HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsThe hon. Lady is exactly right. This is not about gimmicks, or having a parallel immigration policy that is unconnected with any of the treaties we have signed or international…06 Nov 2024HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsThe shadow Home Secretary’s record in office is a matter that we may well keep coming back to. I agree with the observations that my hon. Friend makes.06 Nov 2024HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsI agree very much with my hon. Friend’s observations, and so do the figures. Between the date of the announcement of the Rwanda scheme and the date of the last general election,…06 Nov 2024HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsYes, but let us not underestimate the fact that under the Illegal Migration Act 2023 nobody who arrived in that way could be processed, so 118,000 people are waiting to be…06 Nov 2024HANSARDSafe Countries for Removal: LGBT RightsMr Speaker, I suspect I might be coughing almost as much as you, but for a completely different reason. We constantly update our assessment of LGBT rights and other factors…21 Oct 2024HANSARDSafe Countries for Removal: LGBT RightsI thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue and bringing her concerns—concerns that I share—to the attention of the House. We regularly monitor and review the…21 Oct 2024HANSARDSafe Countries for Removal: LGBT RightsAddressing such issues is more of a Foreign Office responsibility, which is why we liaise closely with the Foreign Office when considering the production of information notes. If…21 Oct 2024HANSARDSt Helena: UK ImmigrationWhy didn’t they go there, then?21 Oct 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationWe have to do what we can to disrupt this trade. We have already seen that the boats are becoming more unseaworthy and that more people are getting on them. Just because that is…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationI have not seen the letter to the hon. Gentleman, but I am happy to write to him if he wants a further explanation. We must remember that in its three years in existence, the…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationI agree with my hon. Friend’s observations. Rather than clutching on to something that was clearly very expensive and has not worked, the important thing is to get down to doing…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationAt this stage, eight or nine weeks into the job, I would not want to rule out any such thing, but tests would have to be applied to it. It would certainly have to be in keeping…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationI am unsure what sort of third-country agreements the hon. Gentleman is talking about. There are various agreements that might be relevant, such as the return agreement with…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationWell, it is difficult—a difficult thing to do. I think that part of what we need to do in our relations with France is do things in co-operation. It is quite difficult to try to…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Mark. I congratulate the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston (Neil O'Brien) on securing the debate—he made it here…10 Sept 2024HANSARD Illegal ImmigrationWe certainly have the ambition to do so. If we have a look, returns plummeted during the period when the last Government were in office. In 2023, 3,225 returns were made; in 2010,…10 Sept 2024HANSARDBorder Security and AsylumThis Government are committed to tackling irregular migration. The tragic incident in the channel earlier this week is a reminder of why the work to dismantle these dangerous and…05 Sept 2024HANSARD Budget Responsibility BillShame!30 Jul 2024