Ukraine: Small Boats
Debate between Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts and Lord Sharpe of Epsom(6 months, 1 week ago)
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Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
Far from being rigid inflatables, these boats more resemble oversized rubber tires—inner tubes. The engines on these things tend to be very underpowered; they are less than 30 horsepower. They are bolted to a plywood transom and riveted to the back of the boat. They are unsafe.
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Con)
My Lords, assuming that the seized boats are not going to Ukraine, could my noble friend tell the House how quickly they are destroyed?
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
Some are kept for evidential and investigation reasons, but they are destroyed as quickly as possible. They are actually recycled; they are not put into landfill.
UK-Rwanda Partnership
Debate between Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts and Lord Sharpe of Epsom(11 months, 1 week ago)
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Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. I would certainly make a personal observation: he has a much better case.
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that the British people place great emphasis on the concept of fairness? A system that rewards people for undermining the existing system by trying to jump the queue cannot be appropriate and actually, it serves to bring the whole system into disrepute. Surely, we have to find a way—the British people expect us to do so—to make sure that those who work with the system and work fairly are treated properly.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
My noble friend makes an extremely good point and directs me, in many ways, back to what the Prime Minister said this morning:
“illegal immigration undermines not just our border controls … it undermines the very fairness that is so central to our national character. We play by the rules. We put in our fair share. We wait our turn. Now if some people can just cut all that out … you’ve not just lost control of your borders … you’ve fatally undermined the very fairness upon which trust in our system is based.”
I agree.