Injury in Service Award
Mike Tapp Excerpts(5 days, 6 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
I begin by adding my voice to what I consider to be the prevailing sentiment emerging from today’s discussion, which is that our police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other emergency service personnel are the very best of us. We owe them a massive debt of thanks for the work they do to keep us safe, and for always answering the call when we need help.
As a Home Office Minister, I am responding to this debate on behalf of the Government, but as the son of a career police officer and having worked in law enforcement myself, I have listened to today’s discussion with especially keen interest. Every day that my dad went to work, we worried, and I know that the same is true for all the families in the Gallery and the family of every officer who has served. Before this debate, I had a quick chat with my dad and asked whether he had sustained any injuries. He told me that only his ego had been injured, when he was stuck in a lift with nine other overweight officers and they had to call the fire brigade to get them out. That did make the papers—the headline was “Podgy PCs in a jam”.
On a more serious note, a lot of the points that have been raised resonate with me personally, and it is in that spirit that I express my sincere gratitude to the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison) for securing the debate.
As was evident from the knowledge and passion with which the hon. Member spoke, this is an issue about which he feels strongly, as do other Members who contributed, to whom I am also thankful. Tom Curry sounds very much like the sort of man I would like to meet—a good bloke and obviously a fantastic campaigner.
A number of specific cases have been cited in the course of discussions, all of them deeply moving, and I will go through some of them. The hon. Member talked about a number of extremely emotional incidents that have happened in Manchester, including two incidents of leg-crushing by vehicles. The fear that must have been felt by those officers is unspeakable. Tom Curry, who I have already mentioned, is one of your constituents, I believe. He started the campaign, and I thank him for that.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)
Order. Minister, you were doing so well, but you are using, “You” or “your” and you should be speaking through the Chair.
Mike Tapp
My apologies.
My hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) mentioned Sue Mitchell, who in November 1984 was also subject to ramming by car. She actually managed to commit an arrest, which shows immense bravery on the ground. The hon. Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) talked about Robert Gifford, who served with the British Transport police and witnessed the Ladbroke Grove train crash, which must have been harrowing in many ways. The hon. Member mentioned another constituent, who was beaten by thugs. That demonstrates the challenges our officers experience every day out there on the ground.
The hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) spoke about Ian, who served for 30 years in Thames Valley police, and I thank him for his service. The hon. Member for Guildford (Zöe Franklin) talked about Andrew Barr, who served with the Met police for 16 years, as well as with search and rescue. Service is often in the blood of those who serve with the police force, and that is why they often volunteer in other ways. The hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington (Gideon Amos) talked about air crash injuries and Councillor Coles, who rightly praises the fire brigade. As with the police, every day while we are in this place, the fire brigade officers literally run towards danger, and I thank them.
The hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley (Iqbal Mohamed) made a really good point about high-profile cases that the press pick up on, when we all send out to the country our thanks to the police, but we must remember that the unnamed do not get that from the media. Routine policing can become dangerous at any moment. While we are safe in here, the police are out there on the streets putting their lives at risk.
The hon. Member for Witney (Charlie Maynard) spoke about Bill Maddocks, a firefighter. It sounds like an extremely complex case, so I will not comment on that at this moment. If the hon. Member will write to me and the Minister for Policing and Crime, my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon West (Sarah Jones), we can get into the detail.
The hon. Member for Woking (Mr Forster) gave a considered statement, which I thank him for, and mentioned PC Geoff Newham, who was involved in a crash and was injured. After his injury, his trying to solve complex issues, such as county lines, demonstrates the dedication to service that so many in our police forces and emergency services have. I thank him very much for that.
I thank the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Stockton West (Matt Vickers) for his considered approach. He mentioned Elsie Galt, to whom I send my thanks, who suffered from a road traffic accident.
There are clearly physical effects that can have significant or, in the most serious examples, life-changing consequences. Then there is the emotional and psychological impact, which, again, can last for years or even a lifetime. We must always remember that the impact of such incidents is felt not only by the individuals themselves, but by their loved ones, their colleagues and their families. When dedicated public servants suffer serious injuries in the course of their duties, it is of course incumbent on us as a state and a society to wrap our arms around them and ensure that they are given all the support they need.
I turn to the specific focus of the debate. I will summarise the Government’s position, but I will do so with full recognition that I am a relative latecomer to this debate, as has been set out by others in a very long-running discussion. I commit to take any outstanding questions away, including on the case that the hon. Member for Cheadle raised. The first point to make is that the Home Office is well aware of the proposal under discussion. Senior officials have spoken many times to leaders of the campaign; indeed, the previous Minister for Policing met a number of them to hear their thoughts on this important matter.
My understanding of the situation is that work continues to identify whether a medal is the best method of recognising emergency services workers who are injured as a result of their duties, and whether it is viable. I realise that the hon. Member for Cheadle and other Members in favour of his proposal would wish me to go further and make a commitment. Respectfully, and with full recognition of the importance of the issue in question, I am afraid I cannot do so today. What I can say is that when any decision is made, it will be communicated to all interested parties, including those in the Gallery today.
Iqbal Mohamed
I am sure there is a bit of disappointment at the Minister’s statement, but could he enlighten the people in the Gallery and the Chamber on the timescale for when a decision might be reached?
Sir Julian Lewis
I have listened carefully to the whole debate, and I thoroughly support the proposal. From the Minister’s summing up, it sounds as if the decision is more in the hands of civil servants than in those of Ministers. May I gently point out to him that civil servants are never remiss when it comes to awarding themselves all sorts of decorations and recognition? Here, it is more a question that the feeling of the House has made itself heard, and it really ought to be conveyed to those people to whom this task appears to have been delegated that they ought to do what they have been told by the elected representatives of the people of this country.
Mike Tapp
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the spirit of his question. I reassure the House and those in the Gallery that the Policing Minister is a Minister who has authority. We saw that in the past week with the scrapping of police and crime commissioners—something that is well overdue. That came well and truly from the Minister, but of course she will have heard these words today.
If Members will indulge me for a second, I will set out some general points about medallic recognition that are relevant to the debate and my response. In this country, all medals are a gift from Government on behalf of the monarch. They are instituted by royal warrant and sit firmly under royal prerogative powers. The advantage of this is that we keep our medal system above the political fray, and no amount of political patronage can affect the criteria. That is why the British model for such recognition is highly respected across the globe.
My reason for mentioning that is not to offer a commentary on the merits of the proposal we are debating today, but to set the discussion in its proper context. I wholeheartedly agree with the general notion that acts of extraordinary courage, sacrifice or selflessness should be recognised and celebrated. Having worked in law enforcement and served in the military, I am behind that notion. That is why in policing, for example, we have worked closely with forces and staff associations to increase the number of officers and staff receiving formal gallantry awards.
James Wild
I referred to my time in the Ministry of Defence, and during that time we created the Op Shader medal for British service personnel who were involved in operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. The original proposal was that that medal should only go to the pilots in the planes conducting the strikes, but the Secretary of State and the Ministers in the Department ensured the case was made for it to go to the ground crews who got those planes in the air, so Ministers can make a difference. We have the system that the Minister has described, but Ministers are there to drive this through.
Mike Tapp
I do not disagree with the hon. Gentleman. We are having the debate in this House today, but the point stands that the decision is not a political one.
We know that for a great many emergency service personnel, their work is more than a job. It is a vocation, which they do because they feel passionate about serving our country and helping others. For those who have to leave the job they love due to injury, that is an immensely painful experience. Every effort must be made to support them in adjusting to their new circumstances.
On the financial impact, to use the example of policing, depending on the injury and its severity, a gratuity and a pension may be payable through existing provisions. Financial awards are not a substitute for medals, but they are not nothing. They have their own meaning and impact, and I think it is important that that point is made.
However, recognition is not just about payments or medals; it is about how we treat people during and after their service. Through the police covenant, we are ensuring that officers and staff who are injured physically or psychologically receive the support they need both during service and after they leave.
To turn briefly to the Elizabeth Emblem, which was raised during the debate, I have been informed that extending it to cover those injured on duty is simply not viable. Aside from potentially disrupting the Elizabeth Emblem, for which some recipients have waited 80 years, extending it would fundamentally alter the nature of the award. It is not normal practice for medal cohorts to be expanded. Normally, a new medal would be created.
I thank all Members for their contributions and of course all those in the Gallery. I particularly thank the hon. Member for Cheadle for securing this debate and for advancing this cause with such care and enthusiasm. I hope he will understand that I am not in a position to make a commitment on the proposal he has put forward. However, I have heard what has been said across the House and will ensure that my ministerial colleagues with responsibility for this area are fully aware of it. As I said, I will have a meeting next week.
For the risks that our officers face and the sacrifices that they make, they are the epitome of public service. They are, to put it simply, all heroes. On behalf of the Government and our country, I finish by thanking them for everything that they do.
Oral Answers to Questions
Mike Tapp Excerpts(1 week, 1 day ago)
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Peter Lamb (Crawley) (Lab)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
UK Visas and Immigration makes millions of decisions every year about who has permission to visit or stay in the UK, protecting our borders and delivering excellent customer service across the globe. Where customers require refunds, UKVI officials ensure that they are made as swiftly as possible.
Peter Lamb
I thank the Minister for his response. I have several residents who have been waiting almost a year for a refund from the Home Office. Given the dramatic improvements that we have seen in asylum application processing in the last year, can I trust that the Minister will put the same zeal into ensuring that the other Home Office processes work just as efficiently?
Mike Tapp
I am aware of those three specific issues, and I reassure my hon. Friend that we are looking at them. I am happy to talk to him in more detail offline.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for his answer. Application costs are significant, and sometimes push those who apply to the wall. Whenever it comes to getting moneys back from someone who owes them, the Government are very zealous—as they should be. I suggest that when it comes to those that they owe money to, the Government should be just as zealous.
Mike Tapp
I thank the hon. Member for his question, and of course we will be just as zealous with those receiving refunds.
John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)
Mike Wood (Kingswinford and South Staffordshire) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
An arbitrary limit on legal migration would serve no one. As we have seen in the past, attempts to implement such caps have been unsuccessful. I remind the hon. Member of the 1 million in one year under the previous Government, undercutting British workers. Instead, this Government have set out a plan to reduce net migration by restoring control to the immigration system, reducing our reliance on overseas labour, and investing in domestic skills.
Mike Wood
Does the Minister not recognise that an important step towards significantly reducing net migration would be to make it clear to all those working in his Department or handling migration that there is a number that everyone is working towards? If that is the case, surely Members of this House should be able to vote on that binding cap, as happens successfully in countries such as Australia.
Mike Tapp
It is always amusing to be lectured about immigration by the Conservative party. There are more sophisticated ways to address high net migration, and this Government are doing that by tackling the underlying causes of over-reliance on migrant labour by employers, alongside raising the bar for who can come to the UK, and targeted visa restrictions.
Yuan Yang (Earley and Woodley) (Lab)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
The Government remain steadfast in their support for Hongkongers in the UK, and remain fully committed to the British national overseas route. We will consult on the earned settlement scheme shortly, and everyone will be welcome to participate.
Yuan Yang
Reading is proud to be a town of many immigrant diasporas, including Hong Kong BNOs who are seeking refuge here. Many of my immigrant constituents have lived in our community for years, and they work incredibly hard so that they can put down roots, much as my parents did when I was a child. Will the Minister acknowledge the contributions of immigrant families who enrich towns like mine, when making policy about settlement periods?
Mike Tapp
Absolutely. Across the board we recognise the contribution from migrant communities, and specifically the Hong Kong community. We are listening to their views about the route to settlement, and will continue to do so.
Gideon Amos (Taunton and Wellington) (LD)
The case for legal migration and for those genuinely seeking asylum is undermined by evidence that businesses in Station Road in my constituency are using and exploiting migrants to carry out illegal trading. Local businesses are shocked and frustrated that when the police raid those premises, they remain open and continue trading. Will the Government consider bringing forward legislation to provide for the immediate closure of illegally trading shops?
Mike Tapp
We take extremely this seriously in the Home Office, but it is out of control after the previous Government left us with a broken system. That is why in just over a year and a half we have increased arrests by 50% and visits by 64%—the highest in British history—and we will continue on that route.
Chris Murray (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab)
Draft Immigration Skills Charge (Amendment) Regulations 2025
Mike Tapp Excerpts(1 week, 6 days ago)
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The Chair
I declare an interest: my wife sits as an immigration tribunal appeal judge in the Bradford Tribunal Hearing Centre.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Immigration Skills Charge (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. The immigration skills charge was introduced in April 2017. Its aim is to incentivise UK-based employers, including the UK branches and subsidiaries of overseas businesses, to take a long-term view of investment and training. It is designed to address historical under-investment in training domestic workers by UK employers and to deter some from turning to immigration as a cheaper alternative.
The skills charge is paid by employers looking to sponsor skilled workers for visas lasting more than six months. It also applies if they wish to extend the employment for a further limited period. Senior and specialist workers also pay the charge, unless they are an EU national coming to work in the UK for less than three years. The increase will not prevent service supply by intra-corporate transferees from continuing, as it does now in line with our international trade commitments. The charge is paid up front when the employer assigns a certificate of sponsorship to a migrant worker and is calculated automatically based on dates provided by the employer as part of the sponsorship process.
The charge has raised approximately £2.7 billion since it was introduced. The income provides financial support to help maintain existing skills budgets across the United Kingdom, which is important for a range of reasons, such as ensuring that immigration is not seen as the sole solution to dealing with the skills needs in our economy. As education and skills are devolved, the income raised helps to maintain funding levels for each of the devolved nations. It is distributed between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland using the formula devised by Lord Barnett.
The draft regulations give effect to the commitment in the Government’s immigration White Paper, published on 12 May, to raise the cost of the immigration skills charge by 32% in line with inflation. From 16 December 2025, therefore, medium-sized and large employers will need to pay £1,320 per person they sponsor per year. There will continue to be a reduced rate for small and charitable organisations of £480 per person per year.
The money raised will continue to support skills programmes and give those already in the UK the opportunity to fill high-quality jobs needed for the future growth of the country. Upskilling workers already here in the UK will also help us to fill future jobs from within our country. That will reduce the need for businesses and organisations to rely on recruiting international workers, in turn helping to bring down overall levels of net migration. The Government have been clear that the levels of net migration have been too high and must continue to come down.
As is the case now, there will continue to be exemptions from the charge, such as employers seeking to recruit people into PhD-level occupations or to recruit a person who is switching from the student route, or where the person is being recruited for less than six months. The draft regulations make a minor update to the list of exempt occupations to reflect the latest occupational codes from the Office for National Statistics. They do not add or remove any occupations that are currently exempt, but in some cases reflect where occupations have been separated from groups.
The immigration White Paper set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system. We must ensure that the immigration system strikes the right balance between bringing in workers who can fill skills gaps and investing in our domestic workforce. The immigration skills charge is designed to ensure that employers contribute to our continued investment in developing the skills that the country needs, sending the clear message that immigration should not be relied on as an easy alternative. The draft regulations support the Government’s ambitions to reduce overall levels of net migration and to aid our resident workforce in finding high-quality jobs through skills training. I commend them to the Committee.
Mike Tapp
I am grateful to hon. Members for their contributions. I am pleased that the hon. Member for West Suffolk agrees with this policy. There is endless amusement for me in being lectured by the Conservatives on the immigration system. I hope that continues, because we need some amusement in this place.
Nick Timothy
Is the number of channel crossings up or down in the last year?
Mike Tapp
The crossing rates are very similar to those of 2022. In 2018, 400 crossed; more than 150,000 have crossed since then. There is no doubt that we inherited open borders from the Conservatives, and that is why the amusement continues. We have said that we will do whatever it takes. By that we mean that there is more to come. I am not going to ruin the party with policy announcements in this Committee.
Regarding the Gazan refugees, we are a firm but fair Government. Where we need to help people, we will. It is a shame that that view is not shared by the Opposition. I will touch on the pilot scheme with France, which was criticised. It is what it says on the tin: a pilot. The Conservatives were begging for that pilot from the French, but obviously could not strike the deal. The scheme will grow and as it grows, it will form more of a deterrent to those sitting in Calais. We look forward to that.
I welcome the questions of the hon. Member for Woking about the NHS. His points are valid. However, we are clear that we need to ensure that the public sector, as well as the private sector, recruits from the British workforce. There are plenty of young people, and elderly people, who would love to—and could—work in the NHS. The measures will encourage that.
Mr Forster
Will the Government agree to study the impact on the health and social care sector of increasing this charge?
Mike Tapp
When we froze the social care visa route, lots of consultation was conducted to ensure that we fully understood the implications. We fully understand that to go in the right direction for this country we need to incentivise the public sector and the private sector to recruit from the skills that we have here. We are the sixth richest nation on Earth: there is a lot of talent here; we did not get there by accident. We must continue to encourage all companies and the public sector to recruit from within.
Question put and agreed to.
Improvements to Windrush Compensation Scheme
Mike Tapp Excerpts(4 weeks, 1 day ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
Last year, the Government committed to resetting its response to the Home Office Windrush scandal, with a renewed focus on ensuring that members of the Windrush generation receive the support they deserve, delivered swiftly, fairly, and with dignity. Since that time, we have taken forward several actions to honour that commitment.
We have appointed Rev. Clive Foster MBE as the first UK Windrush commissioner on 18 June 2025, fulfilling a manifesto commitment. His crucial role provides independent oversight of the Government’s ongoing commitment to address the impact of the Home Office Windrush scandal and ensure that the voices of those affected remain at the heart of efforts to deliver justice and lasting change.
Through the work of the re-established Windrush unit, this Government have sought to strengthen engagement with victims, their families, communities and stakeholder organisations. This is enabling us to hear at first hand the impact that the Home Office Windrush scandal had and continues to have on individuals and communities, and to make sure there is a real appreciation of the impact that policies and decisions have on people’s lives.
We remain resolute in our determination to ensure that the Windrush compensation scheme reflects lived experiences and delivers compensation in a manner that is both just and prompt. We have listened carefully to urgent recommendations from the Windrush commissioner and feedback from community representatives, stakeholders and claimants. In response, I am announcing significant changes to the scheme.
For the first time, the scheme will compensate for the financial impact of lost occupational and personal pension contributions where individuals were unable to work due to being unable to demonstrate their lawful status in the UK. Compensation will also be available to those who had to withdraw funds from existing pension pots to support themselves and their families. This is in addition to existing provisions to ensure individuals’ state pensions are not affected by time spent unable to access employment.
The scope of compensation for employment-related losses will be expanded to reflect wage growth and account for the challenges of returning to work following a long period of unemployment.
The immigration fees category will be broadened to cover any application fees incurred due to uncertainty about lawful status. This includes both successful and unsuccessful applications, ensuring that no one is left out of pocket by needing to prove their status.
And lastly, we have heard the concerns from communities about individuals passing away before receiving the compensation they are entitled to, as well as the financial hardships some are suffering. In response, people will now be offered an advance payment when seeking a review of their final compensation decision. Under this provision, individuals may receive up to 75% of their total compensation before the review process is fully concluded. We will also prioritise allocation of claims for individuals aged 75 and over, alongside existing measures for those with critical or life-shortening illnesses. These changes will be applied retrospectively, and updated rules and guidance will be published in due course.
We recognise that no amount of money can undo the pain, disruption and loss experienced by members of the Windrush generation and their families, but through meaningful action, we are determined to acknowledge that harm, provide redress, and rebuild the trust that was so profoundly damaged.
[HCWS992]
Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules
Mike Tapp Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
The Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood), is today laying before the House a statement of changes in immigration rules.
Introduction of a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana
We are today introducing a visa requirement on all visitors from Botswana. This will come into force at 15:00 British Summer Time today. Nationals of Botswana will also be required to obtain a direct airside transit visa if they intend to transit via the UK, having booked travel to another country.
Nationals of Botswana will no longer be eligible to apply for an electronic travel authorisation for travel to the UK.
There will be a six-week, visa-free transition period for those who already hold an ETA and have a confirmed booking to the UK obtained on or before 15:00 BST 14 October 2025, where arrival in the UK is no later than 15:00 GMT 25 November 2025.
Arrangements are in place so that nationals of Botswana can apply for visas. We are publicising the changes so travellers are aware and can plan accordingly.
We are taking this action due to an increase in the number of nationals of Botswana travelling to the UK for purposes other than those permitted under visitor rules. This has included a significant number of asylum claims since 2022. This adds to operational pressures at the border and on the asylum system, and results in frontline resource being diverted from other operational priorities.
The decision to introduce a visa requirement has been taken solely for migration and border security reasons. Our relationship with Botswana, as a Commonwealth partner, remains a strong one. Any decision to change a visa requirement status is not taken lightly. We keep the border and immigration system under regular review to ensure it continues to work in the UK national interest.
High potential individual—targeted and capped expansion
As the immigration White Paper also set out, we are going further in ensuring that the very highly skilled have opportunities to come to the UK and access our targeted routes for the brightest and best international talent. That is why today we are introducing changes, doubling the number of universities whose graduates can use the route and capping the number of places that are available in this route at 8,000 per year.
Students transitioning to the innovator founder route
The immigration White Paper also set out that we would make changes to further support entrepreneurial talents currently studying at UK universities, so that they can build their business and career in the UK after completing their course. We are therefore amending the conditions given to students to enable them to start work on their business while they are transitioning to the innovator founder route.
Change to reduce the duration of stay under the graduate route to 18 months
The Government announced in the immigration White Paper that it will reduce the period of leave granted under the graduate route from two years to 18 months for most applicants. PhD graduates will continue to be eligible for three years of permission. This change is informed by data showing that too many graduates are not progressing into graduate-level employment, which is what the graduate route was created to facilitate access to. It is intended to ensure that those who remain in the UK transition into graduate-level jobs and properly contribute to the UK economy.
Changes to English language requirements for economic migration routes
As the immigration White Paper, published in May 2025, set out, we are increasing the English language requirement to level B2 for those work routes—specifically the skilled worker, high potential individual and scale up routes—where a level B1 requirement currently applies. This change will come into force on 8 January and will apply to those applying for an initial permission in the affected routes from that date. The change will help to ensure that those who wish to build their life in the UK are better able to integrate into life in the UK. Other changes to English language requirements set out in the White Paper, including the introduction of such requirements for dependants in work and study routes, will be included in future changes to the immigration rules.
These changes to the immigration rules are being laid on 14 October 2025. For the changes that introduce a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana, due to the need to safeguard the operation of the UK’s immigration system, those changes will come into effect at 15:00 on 14 October 2025. All other changes will come into effect on various dates from 4 November, as detailed in the statement of changes.
[HCWS960]
Oral Answers to Questions
Mike Tapp Excerpts(2 months, 1 week ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
This Government remain committed to supporting Ukraine following Russia’s vile, illegal invasion. I acknowledge the warmth and generosity shown by so many local communities in supporting Ukrainians in the UK. Since the conflict began, more than 300,000 Ukrainians have been offered temporary sanctuary through the dedicated Ukraine schemes. Ukrainians can still apply to the Homes for Ukraine scheme with a UK sponsor and, once here, extend their stay to a total of 3.5 years, as recently announced.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter
I start by congratulating the Minister and welcoming him to his place. My constituent Lesley has been hosting and supporting a Ukrainian refugee, Ella, who, after months of delay and difficulty, has thankfully now received a visa extension. Ella’s case highlights the wider problems in the system: long waits, radio silence and a lack of communication, causing huge distress for the refugees and their hosts. Can the Minister set out first what is being done to improve the visa application system generally, and secondly whether the Government will consider looking again at allowing Ukrainian refugees who do not want to, or cannot, return to Ukraine the pathway and the chance of applying for indefinite leave to remain?
Mike Tapp
I thank my hon. Friend for her congratulations and her hard work in this area. The UK Government have been clear from the outset that the Ukraine schemes are temporary and do not offer a direct route to settlement. The Ukraine permission extension scheme reflects our strong humanitarian commitment while also—this is important—respecting Ukraine’s wish for its citizens to return, when safe, to support national recovery. The long-term position is under active consideration, and further details will be provided at the earliest opportunity.
Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab)
National Security Act 2023: Charges
Mike Tapp Excerpts(6 months ago)
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Mike Tapp (Dover and Deal) (Lab)
I thank the Home Secretary for this important statement, and I thank our security services—the finest in the world—for keeping us safe. It is important that we have tools to assess the threat or potential threat posed by those who arrive through irregular means, such as small boats. Can the Home Secretary update the House on progress made to intelligence sharing with our international partners?
Yvette Cooper
My hon. Friend raises an important issue. In order to address transnational and international threats, networks and challenges—whatever form or route they take—it is immensely important that we strengthen co-operation and work with our international allies. We are already working to strengthen international co-operation and information sharing, but we are looking further at what checks and security assessments we can do in the UK.
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
Mike Tapp ExcerptsMonday 12th May 2025
(6 months, 1 week ago)
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Chris Philp
My hon. Friend raises an excellent point. In fact, he draws me to new clause 12, which we tabled. It mandates the Government to get on with implementing scientific age assessments, which scientifically verify if someone is or is not over the age of 18. Every other European country uses these tests. It could be, for example, an X-ray of the wrist.
Chris Philp
I will give way in a minute. There are more complicated techniques these days, such as testing DNA methylation, and other less intrusive tests. We are the only country not to use them.
Many people who illegally cross the channel claim to be under 18—they usually claim to be 17—when common sense would often suggest that they are far older. There are documented cases where men with beards have ended up in schools with teenage girls. [Interruption.] I am going to give way to the hon. Member for Dover and Deal (Mike Tapp) in a moment. I ask the Minister, when she replies, to explain to the House her plans for introducing these tests. We are an outlier in Europe; we are the only country not to use them. It is important from a safeguarding perspective to make sure that people who claim to be 17 really are 17, and not in their mid-20s. The hon. Member for Dover and Deal was very keen to intervene, and I think enthusiasm deserves its reward.
Mike Tapp
I thank the shadow Home Secretary for his condescending tone after his deluded rant. I must say to him that he is misleading the House: 400 crossed in 2018, and more than 150,000 have crossed since. The majority of those were on the Conservative Government’s watch, so how they can claim that that happened on Labour’s watch is beyond me. As the new expert—
Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)
Order. I think the hon. Gentleman has had long enough for his very brief intervention.
Immigration System
Mike Tapp Excerpts(6 months, 1 week ago)
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Yvette Cooper
No one should be making these dangerous boat crossings: they undermine our border security and put lives at risk. Criminal gangs are making a fortune, profiting from organising these dangerous boat crossings. That is why we need counter terrorism-style powers to be able to go after the gangs. There is the opportunity for the hon. Gentleman and his party to vote for those counter-terrorism powers tonight, so that we can strengthen our border security. Previously, he and his party voted against those counter-terrorism powers. I think we need counter terrorism-style powers to strengthen our border security in order to be able to go after those criminal gangs. Does he?
Mike Tapp (Dover and Deal) (Lab)
The Opposition like to talk about and obsess over caps. Does the Home Secretary agree that it might have been sensible for the previous Government to place a cap on the number of Home Secretaries they had to churn through to deliver their failed open-border project?
Yvette Cooper
My hon. Friend is right. I think the previous Government had eight Home Secretaries in the space of eight years, and two of them were the same person.
Asylum Hotels and Illegal Channel Crossings
Mike Tapp Excerpts(8 months ago)
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Dame Angela Eagle
Those asylum seekers who have not had their claims processed within a year through no fault of their own are allowed access to work. I am unconvinced that allowing access to work earlier would do anything other than create more demand for people to come here.
Mike Tapp (Dover and Deal) (Lab)
It is widely accepted across the whole country, including in my constituency, that the Conservatives left us with open borders, with 150,000 people crossing on their watch and the opening of 400 asylum hotels, costing our taxpayers £9 million per day. This Government have already established Border Security Command and have deported 19,000 people; that is record numbers, up 24% from what the Opposition could achieve. We are also bringing in counter-terror powers to take on the smuggling gangs. Does the Minister agree that the Opposition need to get behind our Bill, so that those counter-terror powers can empower the National Crime Agency to take out the smuggling gangs?
Dame Angela Eagle
My hon. Friend is correct that the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which has been through Committee and is awaiting its Report stage, will create counter-terror-style powers that will help us prevent some of these crossings and disrupt the sophisticated criminal smuggling gangs that were allowed to take hold across the channel, unabated by the Conservative party. It will enable us to tackle this problem at source by working across borders with colleagues in other countries, tackling the people-smuggling routes as well as the gangs.