Contributions
1,745 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMigrant CrossingsWith permission, Mr. Speaker, I will make a statement on the number of migrants trying to cross the English channel in small boats and what the Government are doing in response.…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsI very much agree with my hon. Friend. As he will know—no doubt this is one of the reasons why he has rightly raised the issue—there was a landing on the coast of Lincolnshire in,…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsAs I am sure the hon. Lady will know, we do a great deal. This Government, and successive previous Governments, have done much to help refugees across the world. We have the…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsWe are working closely with our French friends in disrupting more of the boats to prevent them from setting out in the first place. When they are detected in French waters, they…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsWe remain absolutely committed to the 1951 convention, and that will not change. The principle that I have set out today, which is widely established and accepted, is the “first…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsI absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. That goes to the heart of the issue, which is about protecting lives and protecting vulnerable people. If such people feel, for whatever…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsThe hon. Lady suggests that these people are not able to seek asylum in other safe countries. France, for example, is a perfectly safe country, and if these people are fleeing…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsLet me be clear with the right hon. Lady. I am not saying that at all. What I am saying is— [ Interruption. ] I am not saying that, and I will clarify. Every claim of course will…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsIf the hon. Gentleman is suggesting that these boat crossings are taking place because of UK Government spending, that is plainly ridiculous.07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsMy right hon. Friend makes a number of good points, particularly on co-operation with the French. Thankfully, during the course of the last year in particular, we have had very…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsThe two are consistent. They do not cancel each other out. One can take something into account because one seeks to make it inadmissible.07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsMy hon. Friend mentions the UK-France joint co-ordination centre now opened in Calais. It is not that it does not work—it makes an important contribution—but it is not enough on…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsLaw enforcement work is an important part of this operation. Since April 2018, UK law enforcement authorities have disrupted 46 organised criminal gangs involved in people…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsThat is a very good question. It is important to keep this under constant review. Border Force has a limited number of vessels and a great deal of work to do, not just in the UK…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsThe right hon. Gentleman should stop treating this as a political game; we are talking about people’s lives. This Government, as much as any other before them, care about those…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsMy hon. Friend refers to the events this morning in his constituency, and while I cannot say too much about that—it is an ongoing operation—he might know that an arrest has been…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsI am happy to share some figures with the right hon. Gentleman. In 2018, 543 people made the attempt to cross the channel, and 42% of them—227 people—were intercepted, meaning…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsFirst, may I take this opportunity to thank all the members of the RNLI for their work, especially in recent weeks, in response to the increase in the number of crossings? As we…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsI am happy to share further details with my hon. Friend. We are helping our European friends in several ways with the huge increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers…07 Jan 2019HANSARDMigrant CrossingsI am afraid I do not accept the picture of France that the hon. Lady has painted. France is a good partner and it is a perfectly safe country, as are many other European…07 Jan 2019