Migration and Economic Development Partnership

Stella Creasy Excerpts

Thursday 29th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Suella Braverman]

My hon. Friend speaks for the British people in his powerful question. My answer is simple: yes.

[Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Contrary to what the Home Secretary has just told the House, the vast majority of those in the boats are Iranians and Afghans—just 1% are Albanians. Iranians and Afghans have an asylum grant rate of 98%, because—surprise, surprise, given what is happening in those countries—they are refugees fleeing persecution. The only phoney thing here is the Home Secretary’s attempt to avoid responsibility for spending so much taxpayers’ money on a policy on which—going by the judgment, and yes, I have read it—she clearly did not do her due diligence.

The Home Secretary will have had to put forward a budget. She says that the Government will do whatever it takes to make this policy work. Are they going to spend whatever it takes? Will she be honest with the British public about how much money she has allocated to continue on this folly to save her blushes in the run- up to the general election? It could go towards processing cases and getting the backlog down.

[Suella Braverman]

I am not in the business of taking lectures from Labour on this issue.

[Stella Creasy]

How much money?

[Suella Braverman]

The reality is that last year, 12,000 Albanians came—

[Stella Creasy]

How much money?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

Order. The hon. Lady has asked her question. It is discourteous for her to sit there repeating it when the Home Secretary is answering it. A bit of courtesy is necessary on all sides.