Every advanced economy has some immigration and emigration. Before Tony Blair’s open doors policy in 1997, net immigration to the UK was c45,000 per year.
Under New Labour it rose to 250,000 per year as the UK service economy & London boomed.
It fell immediately after the EU Brexit Referendum & agreement, and the pandemic.
Now, with post-Covid economic recovery, low post-Brexit European migration, higher UK wages & catastrophic unrest in Ukraine, the Middle East & Africa, there is now a surging economic demand from UK business for cheap labour & massive surge of desperate people fleeing war, famine & poverty to find a new life in the English speaking world.
That’s why I have long advocated an Australian Points Style system and an annual quota of asylum seekers which we know we can look after properly.
With the EU’s Mediterranean borders out of control we are seeing a surge of human trafficking to get to the UK.
Last year the net migration figure was 𝟲𝟱𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 (of which c50,000 crossed the channel).
We simply cannot properly process, sort & handle the numbers flocking here for work (economic migrants) or for asylum given:
- The pressure in UK on housing, infrastructure & public services
- The legal constraints of the ECHR (which was designed in 1940s post war to ensure that never again would Europe see mass deportations of minorities like the Jews fleeing the Nazis).
We have to grip this and sort it.
Any government owes it to both its own citizens (and to those trying to come here for genuine sanctuary (like those from Ukraine) to get this under control.
But there is no single magic bullet.
We must get illegal immigration under control — and part of that is stopping the boats.
The Rwanda Bill is one of a package of measures to do that — alongside
- Working with our French counterparts
- Securing a deportation agreement with Albania
- Working with international partners to tackle the root causes which drive people here.
We have seen real progress in the last 12 months since the PM made this a priority — but there is more to do.
One part of this is making clear to those considering embarking on the journey - and the traffickers who profit from selling the dream - that if they come here illegally, rather than by one of the safe and legal routes, that they will not be able to stay.
By doing this, we will break the inhumane model of the people traffickers, and stop lives being lost in the channel.
My reservations around the legal & practical speed of implementation of the Rwanda policy are well known — but I backed it last night because we MUST get tough on illegal immigration & to stop the boats.
People expect nothing less — and rightly so.
With the bill now sent to the Lords for further scrutiny, I look forward to continuing to raise my constituents concerns about immigration — illegal or legal, those coming across the channel, those the authorities have lost track of who are already here, and tackling the gangs who exploit them for cheap labour.
The Rwanda Bill must be part of a package of tougher measures — including strengthening existing enforcement.
I am proud of Britain’s long history of offering refuge — and proud that we have Afghan nationals in Mid Norfolk who came here legally through the ARAP/ACRS scheme.
But let me make clear — we can only be compassionate if we have control, and protect our borders.
People voted in 2016 to “Take Back Control” of many things - but especially immigration.
We need to deliver.
That’s why I’m pushing for the right balance, and proper enforcement — so that we can help those who need it most.