Illegal Migration Bill
On Monday 13th March, the House of Commons debated the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill. This Bill, like the previous Nationality and Borders Bill, received considerable criticism in the Commons from the Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the other Opposition parties for not actually containing measures that would prevent those crossing the Channel.
Darren, his Labour colleagues, and the other Opposition parties voted against the Bill and will continue to do so throughout all stages of the legislative process.
You can read Darren’s response as follows:
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for taking the time to write to me and I hope that this response finds you well.
I do not support the Illegal Migration Bill that has been put forward by the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary. I believe we need urgent action to stop those attempting to journey across the English Channel in small boats. However, this Bill will not deliver what the Prime Minister and Home Secretary have promised. Just like the Nationality and Borders Act that was passed last year, this Bill will not work in practice.
The Bill will not stop the criminal gangs or dangerous crossings across the Channel; in fact, it makes it easier for those gangs to point to the Prime Minister’s social media feed and claim that anyone trafficked into the country will not be able to seek help under the terms of this Bill.
It will not clear the asylum backlog; instead, it will mean tens of thousands more people in asylum accommodation and hotels given the lengthy legal challenges that this bad legislation will create. I want to stop the passage of small boats to protect the victims of human trafficking, to encourage the use of safe and legal routes for claiming asylum and to stop organised crime gangs getting paid for such activities.
The Bill will not deliver controlled and managed safe routes and the Government has not even tried to explain which safer avenues they want to see come into effect.
Moreover, this Bill makes it harder to negotiate returns agreements with countries like France because it undermines compliance with the international laws and standards that other countries are committed to upholding. These are standards that this country used to be committed to upholding and that the Tories have now abandoned for perceived electoral gain.
As a Vice-Chair of the APPG on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, I am deeply concerned about the consequences that this Bill will have on the victims of human trafficking. I will work on a cross-party basis to try and persuade the Government to think again about blocking victims of trafficking from assistance in this country. I also think that the language being used by some Members of Parliament (MPs) has been deliberately weaponised to stoke division. Again, this helps nobody and detracts from the need for practical solutions to be found.
Although the Government will use its majority to force the Bill through the House of Commons, I will vote for action to stop the gangs and to prevent these dangerous boat crossings. I will vote for a new cross-border police unit, for fast-track decisions and returns to clear the backlog and end hotel use, and for new agreements with France and other countries on returns, on family reunions and on reforming resettlement as outlined by Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
However, I believe this Bill fails to tackle dangerous boat crossings and leaves some of the most vulnerable people undermined. I voted for the Opposition’s reasoned amendment on Monday 13th March against the passage of the Bill. Please be reassured that I will continue to vote against the Bill at every opportunity.
Please do let me know if you require any further support.
Yours sincerely,
DarrenDarren Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol North West