Westminster Life: ‘The British Government should decide who comes to this country’

It took countless votes and House of Commons sittings late into the night, but we got there.

Hopefully this now means that people who come to the UK illegally can be sent to Rwanda quickly.

Why is this so important? Why has this caused so much uproar? Well, it is simply about control of our borders. It should be for the British Government to decide who comes to this country, and in what circumstances. Not judges and lawyers, either domestic or European. Not lawyers who make endless spurious legal challenges. And certainly not unelected Labour and Lib Dem Peers.

Even if you disagree with the Rwanda Plan. Even if you support an open border policy favoured by Labour MPs. Surely most would accept that it should be for the British Government to determine that policy. This is why I find the Labour and Lib Dem argument so perplexing. Surely, they should have the courage of their convictions and defend the open borders approach they would follow if in Government

Farming out responsibility for what should be a domestic issue to judges both domestic and European is cowardly.

But most reprehensible of all are the evil people smugglers who illegally traffic people across the Channel. People are dying in the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

This is horrible and desperately sad. Everyone will feel this. But you must have a plan to deal with it. To see Labour offer no solution to tackle this is disappointing. This is about creating a deterrent and ending the business model of the evil people smugglers.

Critics say the plan is unfair. But if you look elsewhere in the world, the approach the British Government is taking is by no means unique.

Denmark signed their own partnership with Rwanda a year before we did, and Australia – one of the first countries to utilise offshore processing centres – has had tremendous success in bringing down illegal boat arrivals to almost zero. Indeed, many EU countries are observing what we are doing to address the issue and looking to create similar schemes.

We have some brilliant charities and groups who work with asylum seekers in Peterborough. PARCA and HELP both do a super job. We have a strong track record of welcoming newcomers to our City. I am proud of this.

But this is about fairness and if the British Government has the right to determine who can come.

No country in the world would tolerate hundreds of undocumented people turning up on their shores week in week out. This is why it is so important.