Borders and Asylum
Jodie Gosling Excerpts(3 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Yvette Cooper
I worry about the shadow Home Secretary’s amnesia. In the 14 years that the Conservatives were in government, they never managed to do any of the fantasy things that he claims they did. Let us come back to reality from his fantasy rhetoric.
The shadow Home Secretary talked about the approach that his Government were taking before the election. It is worth reminding the House of what that approach was. Asylum decisions dropped by 70%. The Conservatives effectively had a freeze on taking asylum decisions, and they were returning those asylum seekers nowhere—not to France, not to the safe countries that people had passed through, and not to Rwanda, despite running that scheme for over two years with only four volunteers going at a cost of £700 million. Their approach left us with a soaring backlog. Had we continued with that totally failed approach—not taking asylum decisions, not returning people anywhere—there would have been tens of thousands more people in asylum accommodation and hotels across the country right now. That is the kind of chaos that his policies were heading towards. It is the kind of chaos that he is promising again now.
The House will remember the shadow Home Secretary’s personal record. Small boat arrivals went up tenfold on his watch as immigration Minister. Fewer than 1,000 asylum seekers were in hotels by the time he became immigration Minister, but there were more than 20,000 by the time he left his post. On his new concern for local councils, he was the immigration Minister who wrote to local authorities to tell them that he was stopping the requirement on them to agree to accommodation and that he had
“instead, authorised Providers to identify any suitable properties that they consider appropriate.”
We agree with communities across the country that asylum hotels must all close, and I understand why individual councils want to take action in their areas, but I say to the shadow Home Secretary that a party that wants to be in government should have a proper plan for the whole country, and not just promote a chaotic approach that ends up making things worse in lots of areas. That is the Conservatives’ record. We have asylum hotels in the first place because the Conservatives did no planning and let the Manston chaos get out of control. As immigration Ministers, both the shadow Justice Secretary, the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick), and the shadow Home Secretary rushed around the country opening hotels instead of taking a practical, steady approach to get to the heart of the problem, reduce the asylum system, strengthen our border security and tackle and reform the appeals that are causing huge delays.
Let me make a final point. The Government strongly believe that sex offenders should be banned from the asylum system altogether. That is why we have put those details into the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which the shadow Home Secretary’s party has voted against time and again and is still resisting in the House of Lords. If Opposition parties supported and worked with us, that law could be on the statute book and we could have stronger powers against sex offenders, stronger counter-terrorism powers to go after criminal gangs, and stronger powers to tackle the offences being committed in the channel and across the country.
The trouble is that what the Conservatives are doing in opposition is an even worse version of what they did in government: ramping up the rhetoric with policies that would make the chaos worse. This Government will fix the chaos that we inherited and strengthen our border security for the sake of the whole country.
Jodie Gosling (Nuneaton) (Lab)
I thank the Home Secretary for everything that she has revealed today—it will make a difference. As we move from hotels into community distribution, how can we ensure sufficient vetting and transparency in asylum dispersal—especially for groups known to be high risk—in order to safeguard our residents, restore faith among our communities and prevent the threat of disorder such as that seen in Nuneaton this summer?
Yvette Cooper
My hon. Friend makes an important point. Anyone who comes to our country needs to abide by our laws. The rules need to be enforced. We also believe that new partnership and stronger measures are needed between policing and immigration enforcement and the Home Office to ensure that there are proper public safety plans for the asylum estate. We are drawing up new arrangements, including not only stronger checks at the border but stronger arrangements in local communities. I recognise the important point that she makes.
Oral Answers to Questions
Jodie Gosling Excerpts(5 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Dame Diana Johnson
An extra £1.2 billion is going into policing for the financial year starting tomorrow. Obviously, past Governments must account for their failure to fund the police adequately.
Jodie Gosling (Nuneaton) (Lab)
When the Home Secretary visited Nuneaton to speak to local business owners, she heard from them directly about the problem of retail crime. There was a glimmer of hope, because our town centre officer was having a big impact, but that role is now vacant. Shops and other businesses say that retail crime is at an all-time high, with a 58% increase since January. Now that Labour is putting more money into people’s pockets, what more can be done to ensure that it is safe for it to be spent in town centres?
Yvette Cooper
My hon. Friend is right to raise the issue of town centre crime. We are investing additional funds of more than £1 billion in policing next year, and are providing an additional £200 million for neighbourhood policing, which was cut so heavily under the Conservative Government, so that we can bring it back to our town centres. We are strengthening the power of police officers and PCSOs to tackle street and shop theft—crimes that have soared in recent years because the Conservative Government turned their back on it.
Antisocial Behaviour and Illegal Bikes
Jodie Gosling Excerpts(6 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Jodie Gosling (Nuneaton) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tipton and Wednesbury (Antonia Bance) for organising this very important debate.
I cannot overstate the nuisance and impact that these bikes have on the residents of Nuneaton. They are used to harass, bully and intimidate our residents, and—as we have already heard—for a vast amount of additional criminality. Such offences are often described as low-level crimes, but the impact on our community is massively underplayed. They are the same offenders over and over again, and Nuneaton residents like me are frustrated by the lack of action. Many tell me that they are bored with reporting and have no faith in the police’s ability to stop the behaviour. Seeing the same repeat offenders week on week, year on year completely undermines not only the residents’ voice but the hard work of our police forces in tackling this antisocial behaviour.
One resident calls it “bike-o-mania Sunday”, as every week 10 or 15 bikes regularly gather. These bikes are dangerous, often illegal and unroadworthy, and are driven dangerously, recklessly and aggressively by unqualified riders. They are weaponised against the members of my community and across Nuneaton, with several areas—Galley Common, Camp Hill, Stockingford —seeing daily incidents. One resident walking down the Black Track was literally rammed off the path, having to throw her pushchair and drag her dog away when a bike missed her by inches.
The damage and disruption caused by these bikes is unacceptable and often the price is paid by the residents, as long-term persistent exposure to that antisocial behaviour and bullying has an enormous impact on their mental health. Many residents have told me they do not want to go out into our beautiful green spaces and enjoy the sunshine in spring. One resident is too nervous to leave her home. To add insult to injury, many of the bikes are uninsured and untraceable, and the costly price of repairing damage is felt by hardworking families. One stood with a police officer watching as a bike rode over the top of his car.
My greatest fear is that somebody will get seriously hurt. There have already been many accidents and numerous near-misses. Following concerns about safety risks and the additional risk of pursuit, guidance was given not to chase children who were not wearing helmets. The result has not been an improvement in safety. I welcome the new powers, measures and intelligence to be used by our police to tackle this scourge on our communities.