Jack Brereton MP and Jonathan Gullis MP today kept up the pressure on the Government to tackle small boat crossings and end the use of hotels in Stoke-on-Trent to house asylum seekers.
Following on from the publication of the Home Office’s impact assessment on the Rwanda policy, an Urgent Question was called in parliament to debate the policy. With over 45,000 people crossing the channel illegally last year, and Home Office forecasts suggesting that the number of people this year could be as high as 80,000, Jack and Jonathan pressed the Government for answers on the steps they are taking to deter those seeking to cross the channel.
The Government are looking to deport those who come to the United Kingdom illegally, replicating a similar policy to Australia that proved to be highly successful. With over 1,279 asylum seekers in Stoke-on-Trent, Jack and Jonathan are working with the Government to ensure public services across the city are no longer stretched because of illegal migration and that those who come here through illegal routes have no right to remain.
In the House, Jonathan Gullis, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove & Talke said:
“Residents in Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke are rightly outraged to see hotels being used, therefore people losing their jobs levelling up projects being undermined and the hospitality and retail sector being destroyed. This is the right scheme, because like the successful Australian scheme, this will act as a deterrent to people coming to this country, therefore bringing down the burden on the hotels and on the Home Office.
Sadly, the only plan that we hear from the Shadow Home Secretary is to process people quicker. That is amnesty in another name, because we are currently accepting 70%, so the Honourable lady will not even commit to getting down to France’s level of accepting 18%. Isn’t the truth that the Shadow Home Secretary may be belittling the scheme, but she doesn’t say whether or not she would scrap it if she were Home Secretary, because ultimately, they’re getting ready for another embarrassing flip-flopping U-turn.”
Responding, the Minister of State for Immigration, Robert Jenrick MP said:
“I don’t know whether the Shadow Home Secretary would scrap the scheme or not, I’ve heard all sorts of conflicting reports in that regard. I can say that he is absolutely right that this is a world-leading partnership and it is one that time and again, when I speak to interior Ministers throughout Europe, they look to as an innovative approach. I would not be surprised that other countries would follow us once we’ve operationalised it.”
In the House, Jack Brereton, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South asked:
“Clearly, the best way to reduce those costs of illegal migration is to increase deterrence and particularly with the Rwanda plans, so will my Rt Hon friend, confirm that he is doing everything possible to ensure that once the court of appeal has made its decision, we can get on with those flights to Rwanda immediately?”
Responding, the Minister of State for Immigration, Robert Jenrick MP said:
“My Hon friend is absolutely right, deterrence has to be at the heart of our approach. Whether that be domestically in terms of making it harder to live and to work illegally in the United Kingdom. Or internationally, with the work that we’re doing upstream and the Rwanda policy is a critical part of that. The Home Secretary, the PM and I, are meeting every week to ensure that are ready to operationalise this policy as soon as we have the ability to do so. We’ll await the judgement of the court, of course we hope it upholds the very strong judgment that we received from the High Court earlier this year.”
