On Tuesday I supported the Government in delivering the first stage of the Rwanda immigration bill to the House of Commons. With a 44 majority, I am pleased that I supported my colleagues to begin the first phase of immigration control.
In both my party and across the House of Commons I am known for my campaigns for safe and legal routes to allow migration to continue to support sectors such as health and social care. However, I agree that measures must be put in place to start documenting inflow and outflow numbers. We have got to clamp down on the criminals who are trafficking people into the UK. While we are catching and prosecuting more of them, they have smuggled more than 28,000 people across the Channel so far this year. Frankly, it’s a miracle that more lives have not been lost. The Rwanda Scheme is just one course of action in the jigsaw to deal with illegal migration, but it is an important one, and we need to support it. Because doing nothing is not an option.
