Immigration and Asylum Bill (Thirteenth sitting)

Leigh Ingham Excerpts

Committee stage
Thursday 29th October 2026 Public Bill Committees

[Mr Kohler]

I think we all believe in evidence-based policy making, and we need to do things such as cost-benefit analysis. To argue that one cannot do a cost-benefit analysis before making any policy change is not a solution; it ends up meaning that we just guess. We have to actually plan policy.

[Leigh Ingham (Stafford) (Lab)]

The hon. Member said that he believes in making evidence-based decisions, but he is unable to say what it would cost to make this change. If that is his belief, can he explain what the cost of the new clause would be?

[Mr Kohler]

We are talking about civil servants doing a cost-benefit analysis as part of their role. To suddenly say that that is a huge expense, and therefore that we cannot examine policy changes, is a strange argument.