Illegal Immigration — [Sir Mark Hendrick in the Chair]

I am concerned about the illegal immigration crisis and the pressures it places on public services in my constituency. I urge the government to take immediate steps to address this issue. Stressed the importance of national security and border protection for those in the armed forces community. Criticised the previous Conservative government's loss of control over borders, highlighting a significant rise in small boat crossings and net migration since 2019, with the Rwanda scheme costing taxpayers £700 million.

On the Rwanda scheme, Jake Richards criticises Conservative Members for clinging to a programme that has not worked since its inception.

Suggested that simply smashing gangs does not solve the issue as new gangs will emerge, proposing a deterrent to prevent people from wanting to come to the country in the first place. Mr. Lee Anderson expressed concerns about illegal migration, arguing that young men are coming to the UK from France with false pretenses of fleeing war and persecution, when in reality they see it as an opportunity for better living conditions. He highlighted the issue of non-governmental organizations like Care4Calais facilitating these journeys and the challenge of deporting those who enter illegally once they reach British shores. Anderson emphasized the need to address the pull factors that attract illegal migrants to the UK. He intervened to suggest that if the previous Conservative Government had ignored the ECHR and sent the first Rwanda flight, it might have prevented the current crisis of illegal immigration. Lee Anderson intervened, questioning whether efforts to crack down on gangs transporting migrants might instead drive people to attempt dangerous crossings in greater numbers and result in increased fatalities.

Matt Vickers highlighted the rising cost to taxpayers due to illegal immigration, with asylum accommodation costing over £8 million a day. He criticised the current Government for granting an amnesty without proper assessment and emphasised the need for deterrents against small boat crossings. Vickers noted that previous measures had led to a 26% reduction in irregular arrivals but lamented the removal of these measures by the new government, which he argued would lead to more illegal entries.

Called for the use of MI5's counter-terror powers and culture of disruption to prevent individuals from boarding boats, drawing on his past experience with the National Crime Agency. He defended Labour's approach, stating that the border security command will work upstream with counter-terror powers and that they have been successful in deporting those who should not be here, as opposed to the Conservatives' failure to do so. Mr. Mike Tapp intervened, questioning Mr. Rupert Lowe about his proposal for dealing with illegal immigrants, expressing concern that such measures could lead to loss of life in the Channel waters.

He criticised the Home Secretary's policy on illegal immigration, arguing that it would cost taxpayers £17.8 billion for asylum seekers to be granted full access to welfare systems and local authorities would incur costs, leading to higher overall costs compared to previous policies. Nick Timothy raised concerns about the Home Secretary's claim of cost savings from scrapping the Rwanda scheme, noting that the impact assessment assumed no deportations to Rwanda despite costs being included elsewhere.

He criticised the previous government's handling of illegal immigration, stating that the situation in Kent and Sussex was ignored until it became a crisis. He noted that the gangs realised deportation chances were low, leading to an increase in crossings. Farage also highlighted the role of the French navy in escorting boats across the channel and expressed concerns about the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings. He called for political will from the government, suggesting that ignoring the ECHR and towing boats back to their origin could solve the issue.

Mr. Rupert Lowe expressed concerns about the influx of predominantly male illegal immigrants arriving in small boats at Dover and criticised the current approach to handling these individuals, suggesting they should be securely detained until deportation is arranged.