Dover and Portsmouth: Protests

Debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Sarah Jones

Monday 7th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Jones]

First, just to clarify, I do not think I said there was a lack of intelligence; I said I did not want to comment on the intelligence—there is a difference. In the case of Dover, the police had not been informed of the protest. That is not to say there was not intelligence that I cannot comment on or would not know about. I just want to be clear about that, as that is different.

Of course, all crimes need to be punished. We need to ensure that people who commit vile sexual and violent offences go to prison or, if they are not from this country, are deported, and that is what we are doing. The number of foreign national offenders being sent home and the number of people who have been turned down for asylum and are being sent home are significantly up on when the Conservatives—the hon. Member’s previous party—were in power. We will continue to do that, but of course that is not to say that we are not intensely sympathetic and sorry for people who have been victims of awful crimes.

[Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Your Party)]

Will the Minister give us an assurance that the Home Office will turn its attention to the growth of far-right organisations across the country and the racist activities they undertake? The people who arrived in Dover and Portsmouth behaved in a violent, disgraceful and racist manner, including abusing RNLI volunteers. Will she also recognise that the plight of refugees all across Europe is a serious human rights disaster, and we do need co-operation between all Governments across Europe to ensure that we deal with this in a decent and humane way, and not allow people like these Reform Members sitting in front of me to just routinely abuse anyone who is trying to seek a place of safety?

[Sarah Jones]

There are of course very difficult issues of people who are fleeing war and conflict, and I say to the shadow Home Secretary and everyone else here that we in this country have an honourable tradition of being a place of safety, which must continue. The issue we have seen in recent years is that, when the Conservatives were in power, anybody who came in was not dealt with, was not turned around and was not returned. So the criminal gangs understood that when people come to this country, nothing happens and they get to stay here forever, regardless, and they make money from that vulnerability. So we are trying to improve the system, and improving the system is not a lack of compassion; it is exactly the opposite.