Visas: Highly Skilled People

Debate between Lord Austin of Dudley and Lord Lemos

Wednesday 26th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that question. I pay tribute to his experience and commitment in this area. I too have history in the prison system, as it were: I was lead non-executive director of the Prison Service for many years, so I know first-hand some of the recruitment and retention problems that it faces. I totally understand the problem but, as I have said, these are all matters under consultation and we will make sure to try to avoid unintended consequences where we can. We take very seriously the problem that my noble friend has highlighted.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords—

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[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for that question. It is an issue that he has raised before, and one about which I am concerned. Indeed, I addressed it in my maiden speech. As I have already said, we announced on 14 October that we will aim to double the number of highly skilled people coming to the UK on the high skilled routes, precisely to address the issues he raises relating to the creative sectors.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords—

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[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

With 1 million young people not in education, training or work, and with the number of apprenticeships having collapsed in this country, how can it possibly make sense for us to waive the visa rules to bring in roofers, bricklayers, carpenters and care workers, let alone nurses and other NHS workers? These are all highly skilled roles, but we can train young people up to do them quite quickly. Would it not make much more sense to massively increase the number of apprenticeships available for young people who are in this country already?

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

Yes, it absolutely would, and that is what the Government are seeking. My noble friend will have noted some of the announcements on apprenticeships in the Budget. The skilled workers route is by far the largest route for these high skills; it is more than 250,000 people. We need to upskill the resident community, but we have raised the skills levels required for the skilled worker route and the salary levels. The occupational lists have been restricted, and we have created a temporary shortage list. I believe we are addressing exactly some of the points that my noble friend made.

El Fasher

Debate between Lord Austin of Dudley and Lord Lemos

Thursday 30th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Austin of Dudley]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the situation in El Fasher in Sudan.

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Lemos) (Lab)]

My Lords, on Monday, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement calling on the RSF to protect civilians and facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access into El Fasher. As she made clear, the RSF leadership are accountable for these crimes. UK Special Representative Richard Crowder and his team in Addis have been in touch with the RSF and their political alliance, Tasis, as well as the Sudan Armed Forces, to urge restraint, the protection of civilians and acting in accordance with international humanitarian law. We are mobilising £23 million of existing UK aid to support the delivery of life-saving food and health assistance in northern Darfur, as well as support to those facing sexual violence.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, this is the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophe. Famine alone has killed half a million children, and 10 million people are starving. That is more than in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Gaza, Mali and South Sudan combined. Some 9 million people have been internally displaced, 3.5 million have fled the country as refugees and thousands of civilians have been murdered just this week. The UK is the UN Security Council penholder on Sudan. What more can His Majesty’s Government do to mobilise the international community, get aid in, protect civilians, press for a ceasefire and enforce an arms embargo? Why do we hardly ever discuss this issue? This House and the other place should be raising this, day in and day out, until this carnage is brought to an end.

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I thank my friend the noble Lord for that question and for his constant advocacy of this important subject. He has brought it to our notice before, and I agree entirely with his view that we have not spent enough time on it in the past. Let me set out where we are now. As he rightly says, we are the penholder at the UN Security Council and we have consistently advocated for a ceasefire, the protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access. Those have been our strategic commitments throughout. There will be an urgent UN Security Council meeting today, Thursday 30 October, called by the UK as penholder, and this was only agreed overnight. That is, as it were, breaking news, and I am pleased to report it to your Lordships’ House.

In November 2024, the UK and Sierra Leone prepared a UN Security Council resolution addressing the protection and humanitarian crisis in Darfur. This was vetoed by Russia, despite support from every other Security Council member. The UK welcomes the efforts of the Quad—the USA, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE—in seeking a resolution to the conflict in Sudan. The Quad statement issued on 12 September is a significant development. We stand ready to support the Quad’s effort.