Let me begin by declaring my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, which refers to the help that I receive from the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy project, and my position as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on migration.
I agree with much of what was said by my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson) about the process involved in the Bill and the way in which we are debating it today. This is our third immigration Bill in less than two years, and throughout that time Ministers and Back Benchers alike have engaged in progressively more inflammatory rhetoric about refugees without addressing any of the real problems in our asylum and migration system.
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Let me be clear about what those problems are. The real problem has been brought into stark relief. Just this weekend five people died crossing the channel, and hundreds more have been killed making that dangerous crossing. If those desperate people survive the journey, they are forced to wait years for a decision on their claims. They are housed in uninhabitable conditions; they are unable to work and give back to our society, so they are in danger of destitution; and if they are destitute, they are forced to rely on only a small amount of support, barely covering the cost of basic essentials. The availability of functional safe routes for people is completely lacking.