Opinion: Lee Rowley welcomes Illegal Migration Bill becoming law

The Illegal Migration Bill is a new tool in the Government's arsenal to gain greater control over our asylum system and, most importantly, to stop the boats. It seeks to tackle the UK's broken asylum system, prevent late appeals designed to frustrate the removals process and to make the law clear that those who enter the UK illegally should not remain here.

Taken together with measures already underway to speed up the processing of applications and, once it has concluded in the Supreme Court, the hopeful opening of Rwanda for offshore processing, it should mean several significant steps forward in stopping the boats for good.

Commenting, Lee Rowley stated:

"One of the biggest national issues that residents contact me about in North East Derbyshire is the boats. They are - rightly - hugely frustrated by those entering our country via illegal means and want a stop to it. I completely agree with them. There is absolutely nothing compassionate about allowing people to take via perilous journeys in order to stay in the UK.

There is also something more fundamental here, too. The British people should have the ultimate right to say who comes to this country, when they come and the manner in which they arrive. The UK's asylum system is broken and needs to change. The Illegal Migration Bill is, hopefully, another step forward in doing that. And, as North East Derbyshire's MP, I will continue to vote for whatever is necessary to stop the boats."

Notes

You can find more information on the Illegal Migration Bill here.