Lord Winston
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(1 year, 2 months ago)
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Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con)
They arrive usually on visas, such as student or work visas, or they overstay on other types of visas.
Lord Winston (Lab)
The Minister used the phrase that their journey was “dangerous, illegal and unnecessary”. I wonder if he would be kind enough to consider retracting the word “unnecessary”, because it suggests some prejudice as to what we do not know about why people are coming in these waters under such danger, and under great hardship.
Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con)
The journeys are unnecessary, and I stand by that. If they are leaving from France or Belgium, they are in a safe country—a signatory of the refugee convention. They can make their refugee asylum claims in those countries. The journey across the channel is dangerous and illegal and they should not do it; it is unnecessary.