Residents will know that the Supreme Court recently upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal, meaning that we cannot yet lawfully remove people to Rwanda as the Government intends to do. In light of this ruling, the Government has pledged to look again at the finer details of its immigration policy as it seeks to break the model of people traffickers operating in the Channel.
Today, the Home Secretary came before Parliament to set out the Government’s position on this matter, along with the Minister of Immigration. MPs had ample opportunity to question and scrutinise the Government’s plans, and I was glad to ask my question. I welcomed the Home Secretary’s statement and the manner in which he has agreed to proceed. I am grateful for his commitment to our pledge to stop people smugglers from profiting from vulnerable refugees.
This pledge must not come at the expense of our international obligations or our relationship with our European partners. I pressed the Home Secretary on our work with the French and his commitment to the ECHR, and I am glad to be reassured that our work with the French authorities is bearing fruit, and is already damaging people smugglers operating on their beaches.
