Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

The Rule of Law

Tuesday 14 September 2021 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chris Stephens inquired about recent discussions on upholding the rule of law with Cabinet colleagues, to which the Lord Chancellor responded without disclosing details but affirmed the commitment to the rule of law.
  • Allan Dorans questioned the Secretary of State about the importance of respect for international law, to which the response was that the Home Secretary has taken comprehensive legal advice on matters concerning international refugee cooperation.
  • Anne McLaughlin criticized the Government for disregarding the rule of law by reducing access to justice and ignoring the refugee convention, to which the Lord Chancellor rebutted by stating that such criticism is often a political tactic used by the left.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chris Stephens SNP
Democracy & Elections
Context

MP asks about recent discussions on upholding the rule of law.

Question

What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on upholding the rule of law?

Answer from Robert Buckland

Naturally, I do not disclose the details of my private conversations with Cabinet colleagues, but they and everybody else should be in no doubt that I am, and will continue to be, a very active Lord Chancellor in supporting the rule of law. I use the authority of my office to advise, to warn and to encourage.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details of recent discussions.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Allan Dorans
Immigration Asylum & Refugees
Context

MP criticises suggestions to break international refugee conventions.

Question

The Secretary of State will no doubt agree that for any Government committed to the rule of law, respect for international law is as important as respect for domestic law. Will he therefore join me in condemning suggestions by the Home Secretary that she is prepared to break international refugee conventions and turn away boats in the channel? Will he meet her to stress how damaging that action would be to the United Kingdom's international reputation and credibility?

Answer from Robert Buckland

I assure the hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has taken the fullest and most comprehensive advice on these matters. There is an immediate challenge: we face the appalling exploitation of people by gangmasters and traffickers across the English channel every day.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not condemn breaking international law; did not commit to meeting home secretary.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q3 David Lammy Lab Tottenham
Asylum & Refugees Democracy & Elections
Context

MP criticises government's approach to the rule of law.

Question

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. In the middle of a pandemic, the Secretary of State's Government are prioritising attacking the Human Rights Act and judicial review, disenfranchising millions of voters with the Elections Bill on voter ID, and, now, threatening to break international law to make it harder for asylum seekers, including those from Afghanistan, to find sanctuary in Britain. The new president of the Law Society recently warned that those measures put respect for the rule of law in jeopardy in the UK. What does the Secretary of State say to the president of the Law Society?

Answer from Robert Buckland

I think the right hon. Gentleman will find that, across the piece, the commentary that has followed my speech and the introduction of the Judicial Review and Courts Bill has reflected the fact that this is a measured and incremental approach to constitutional reform, as, I am sure, will be the work on the independent review of the Human Rights Act.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific warnings from president.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q4 Anne McLaughlin SNP
Justice & Courts Standards & Ethics
Context

MP argues that government disregards the rule of law.

Question

None of this is funny. This Government's disregard for the rule of law is wide-ranging, as we have heard. They are reducing access to justice, planning, for instance, to remove Cart judicial reviews; the Nationality and Borders Bill simply ignores the refugee convention, while the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill strips away legal certainty; and the Secretary of State's own comments to me in this place on 18 May demonstrated his disregard for our international obligations. Can he match my necessarily shortened list with examples that demonstrate the opposite?

Answer from Robert Buckland

I am afraid that that is emblematic of the problem that we are facing. Dressing up legitimate political debate as somehow a direct criticism of our adherence to the rule of law is, I am afraid, a regular trick of the left, and I am not going to fall for that sanctimonious list of nonsense.

Not addressed: Did not provide counter-examples; changed subject to political debate.

How: Deflection

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q5 Anne McLaughlin SNP
Asylum & Refugees
Context

MP criticises the Nationality and Borders Bill for its treatment of asylum seekers.

Question

The Nationality and Borders Bill also lengthens the time for which those seeking asylum must wait for a decision, while shortening the time that they have in which to appeal. As we have heard, 22 female judges are trapped in Afghanistan, and neither yesterday nor today have we heard any firm plans to get them out. If they manage somehow to make it here without our assistance, how surprised does the Secretary of State think they will be to discover the complete disregard for them and for the rule of law in that Bill?

Answer from Robert Buckland

Again, the hon. Lady is way off the mark. The idea that there is not a clear plan was plainly negatived by yesterday's statement from the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins). We have a very clear plan for Afghan judges.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not comment on female judges trapped in Afghanistan; did not address asylum seekers' treatment.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)