THE great pro-leave slogan of Brexit was about taking back control.
Regardless of your view, the British people made that choice during the referendum, and the Government rightly went on to implement that decision.
Having power over our borders is one of the most fundamental parts of taking back control.
It must be a decision for the British people and their government who enters our country – and no-one else.
Legal immigration is part of modern reality. It is right to have a debate about the numbers, and I do believe that the numbers we have seen over recent years have been too high; but anyone who we legally allow to enter our country and stay here should be welcomed and integrated into our communities – and we should also have the expectation of them that they contribute to our country and society.
Illegal immigration is another matter and has become a huge issue for us.
Through Government action, the numbers have reduced from last year, but it is still far too high. To accommodate the numbers coming in we have seen the temporary use of hotels in places such as Carlisle.
This is something which I always believed was inappropriate and I am certainly pleased that their use will end in the early months of next year.
All this goes to show that there has to be a more permanent solution to the issue, that ultimately reduces the number of illegal entries to zero. This is what the Government had hoped to do with its Rwanda policy.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled last week that the Government’s Rwanda scheme could not go forward in its proposed form. The Labour Party might oppose this scheme, but I believe that the Government is right in exploring options like this to ensure that those who should not be in our country do not stay in our country.
The Prime Minister has pledged to respect the Supreme Court’s decision, but to also bring in legislation that ensures the scheme goes ahead. I will support him in this.
Labour have opposed all legislation brought forward to tackle illegal entry and refused asylum applicants, and Keir Starmer has even put on record the fact that even if the Rwanda policy were to be successfully implemented and it worked in helping end illegal entry, he would get rid of it!
By opposing all measures to stop illegal entry, and by refusing to put forward any specific controls of their own, the Labour position appears to be one of de facto unlimited and uncontrolled immigration.
Interestingly, at the same time Labour is taking this stance, the rest of Europe is beginning to align much more closely with the Government’s position – including in using third party countries to help with processing and deterrence.
The right to control your own borders is a sovereign one and a principle that appears to be strengthening in Europe.
It is also, ironically, a vital part of ensuring that legal migration works – so that legal migrants into this country feel more secure and are more able to integrate into our society.
We may have left the European Union, but there is still more work to be done to ensure we take back control.
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