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  • Priti Patel – 2022 Speech on Preventing Crime and Delivering Justice

    Priti Patel – 2022 Speech on Preventing Crime and Delivering Justice

    The speech made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 11 May 2022.

    It is an honour to open today’s Queen’s Speech debate on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government.

    Keeping citizens safe is the first duty of any Government and, although it is not the only duty, meeting every other duty depends on it. Whenever fear and crime flourish, people cannot, and nor can our economy or our democracy. The Conservative party is the party of law and order. Unlike some, we understand that freedom includes the freedom of the law-abiding majority to go about their business free from harm. Those on the Opposition Benches are eager to defend the murderers, paedophiles, rapists, thugs and people with no right to be here. They cheer on selfish protesters who cause chaos and endanger lives. They back people who thwart the removal of foreign national offenders from our country.

    In the last Session, opposition parties voted against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and the measures to stop the likes of Insulate Britain ruining the lives of ordinary working people going about their daily business.

    Yvette Cooper (Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab) rose—

    Priti Patel

    I will not give way. The right hon. Lady will have the chance to speak shortly.

    Opposition parties voted against tougher sentences for killer drivers, greater powers to monitor terrorists, and an end to the automatic release of dangerous criminals. They are much less curious about the rights of everyone else to go about their everyday business free from molestation. It amazes me that the Labour party dares to hold a debate on crime just after having voted against the PCSC Bill. If Labour Members really cared, they would have backed the Bill.

    This Government and this party back the police, our intelligence and security services and the law-abiding majority. We have reformed the criminal justice system so that it better supports victims and ensures that criminals are not only caught, but punished.

    Yvette Cooper

    Will the right hon. Lady give way?

    Priti Patel

    While the right hon. Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) voted repeatedly against boosting police funding, we have given the police the investment they need. An increase of £1.1 billion has taken the spending to nearly £17 billion a year.

    Dame Margaret Hodge (Barking) (Lab)

    I am very grateful to the Home Secretary for giving way. I want to engage not in the to and fro on which she started her contribution, but on a subject where I think there is unity across the House, which is in the fight against economic crime. Does she agree that if we are to be effective in fighting economic crime, we must have measures that introduce better transparency, that properly fund our enforcement agencies, because, at the moment, they are not fit for purpose, and that also hold to account the enablers of economic crime for the actions that they take?

    Priti Patel

    The right hon. Lady is absolutely right. I will come onto the forthcoming economic crime Bill, which speaks very specifically not just about how we do better and more, but how we target our resources to stamp out fraud and go after the permissive environment and the individuals who occupy that space and commit the most appalling economic crimes.

    Since I became Home Secretary, an additional 13,500 police officers have been recruited. We are well on the way to our target of 20,000 more police officers by next March. Following the incredible response to our public consultation—

    Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con)

    I am extremely grateful to the Home Secretary for giving way. May I reinforce the cross-party nature of what the right hon. Member for Barking (Dame Margaret Hodge) has just said? She will know that the right hon. Lady and I have done quite a lot in the House to support the points that she has just made. I very much hope that, when the right moment comes in the economic crime Bill, she will listen carefully to the work that has already been done to try to reinforce the very point that she has just made.

    Priti Patel

    My right hon. Friend is correct on this. I know that, for many years, he has been a champion of many of the reforms, some of which have been put in place. We have had part 1—the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 and sanctions—but the next Bill will also tackle Companies House and many of the wider issues that have been raised.

    Andy Carter (Warrington South) (Con)

    The Home Secretary has talked about the extra 13,000 officers recruited across the UK. It perhaps helps to break the figures down. Cheshire has had 189 new officers, and we are seeing results from those additional recruits. There has been a striking improvement in the number of arrests in relation to child abuse cases. Those officers increased from 10 to 46, and last month, we saw 28 extra arrests in Cheshire. Does she agree that that sort of increase makes a significant difference? It is not just about having fluorescent jackets on the streets; it is about the work of investigators tackling terrible crimes such as child abuse.

    Priti Patel

    My hon. Friend is right. There are a number of points to make on that. I know that the Minister for Crime and Policing recently visited that team. First and foremost, when it comes to the most appalling crimes of child abuse and sexual exploitation, a number of significant measures were passed through Parliament in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, including tougher sentences, which, as I have already said, the Labour party voted against.

    Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)

    Will the right hon. Lady give way?

    Priti Patel

    Let me make a bit more progress.

    Following the incredible response to our public consultation, we published the violence against women and girls strategy. The Government have passed the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and launched the multi-year “Enough” campaign to challenge and change misogynistic attitudes. These are terrible crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls, such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking and female genital mutilation. Addressing them is our priority and responsibility. The Government’s rape review found a steep decline in the number of cases reaching court since 2016. One of the key reasons for this was the number of victims withdrawing from the criminal justice process, and in too many instances the criminal justice system has simply not been good enough and has failed victims. Across Government, my colleagues and I intend to transform support for victims by ensuring that cases are investigated fully and pursued vigorously through the courts.

    Karl Turner

    The Home Secretary talks about victims; why is crime up 18% but prosecutions are down 18%?

    Priti Patel

    I will come on to that as well, but first I want to speak about the rape action plan. We will increase the number of cases reaching court back to 2016 levels, which means reducing the number of victims who withdraw from the process and putting more rapists behind bars.

    Crucial in how the Government will do this is not just money but investment in capabilities and the court system. The Government are investing over £80 million in the Crown Prosecution Service to tackle backlogs and recruit more prosecutors across the entire the country, because we need to start tackling this inequality. There is a significant inequality; that is in part a result of factors such as the way charges have been made and prosecutions brought, but there are other challenges as well.

    Yvette Cooper

    Will the right hon. Lady give way?

    Priti Patel

    No, I will not give way; the right hon. Lady will have a chance to speak. [Interruption.] The right hon. Lady will have an opportunity to speak shortly. [Interruption.] If I may finish my point, I may come to her.

    The other factor in terms of policing is the increase in the volume of digital evidence, and a vast amount of work is taking place across policing and the CPS now looking at how we can have an end-to-end approach across the criminal justice system to assess digital evidence. Also, for the first time the criminal justice system is now going to be held to account through performance scorecards through the crime and justice taskforce and also through the MOJ as well as the Home Office.

    Layla Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon) (LD)

    I thank the right hon. Lady for giving way. Is she aware, among student victims of sexual assault, of the use of gagging clauses and non-disclosure agreements in university non-contact agreements? I am in touch with various victims, particularly from Oxford university. One college, Lady Margaret Hall, has now signed a pledge to no longer use these but none of the other colleges has. Will the right hon. Lady join me and the universities Minister, the right hon. Member for Chippenham (Michelle Donelan), in asking other colleges to do the same, and will she consider meeting me so that I can relay to her the thoughts of victims in these cases?

    Priti Patel

    The hon. Lady is absolutely right. [Interruption.] I hear calls for more legislation from Labour Members, but, frankly, they also vote against all Government legislation. The hon. Lady raises a serious point. Through the crime and justice taskforce particularly, which is a cross-Government endeavour, the Education Secretary and other parts of Government are working with the MOJ to address and tackle these issues. The CPS has an important role to play here as well. I would be delighted to meet the hon. Lady and to speak to the universities Minister about this, because it is simply not right. Frankly, some of the practices being used are immoral, because they are effectively denying victims their right to have a voice.

    Yvette Cooper

    Will the right hon. Lady give way?

    Priti Patel

    No, I will not give way. The right hon. Lady will have the chance to speak shortly and there are, I think, 32 Members wishing to speak in this debate.

    Dame Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)

    Will the right hon. Lady give way?

    Priti Patel

    Yes, I will give way to the Chair of the Select Committee.

    Dame Diana Johnson

    I am very grateful to the Home Secretary. On the issue of convictions for rape and serious sexual assault, one of the recommendations from the Home Affairs Committee was to have RASSO—rape and serious sexual offences—units in all police forces. Will the Home Secretary ensure that all police forces now have those specialist units, because we know if that is the case, it is more likely that investigations will be more thorough, victims will be treated better and convictions will follow?

    Priti Patel

    The right hon. Lady is absolutely right, and she will be aware of Operation Soteria, which does that. I will come on to wider support through the courts system and independent gender violence advocates, but the system is working now in a much more joined-up way, which I am sure the right hon. Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford will also welcome. These measures have to be integrated not only with policing, but with the CPS, so that we have an end-to-end approach on prosecution.

    Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)

    The Home Secretary talked about passports. Constituents are telling me that the long delays at the Passport Office could both badly affect the travel industry and ruin family holidays. We need action now. Will she ensure the backlog is dealt with in the coming weeks?

    Priti Patel

    If the hon. Gentleman has a particular case, I have been speaking to other hon. Members—[Interruption.] No, please send it to me. There has been a problem with Teleperformance, the company that runs the helpline on this, but I would be happy to address his points. There is a great deal of work taking place operationally with Her Majesty’s Passport Office in dealing with passports and applications, and we are about to have yet another record month of passport delivery.

    The fourth round of the proven safer streets fund is worth £50 million and will help to reclaim spaces so that people across our communities and streets are safe. Alongside that initiative, the Government have worked assiduously to combat issues such as drugs and county lines. While we know that Opposition Members are weak on combating drugs, this Government have overseen the arrest of 7,400 people as part of the county lines drug programme, and 1,500 lines have been closed. Drug seizures by police officers and Border Force in England and Wales in 2020-21 increased by 21% on the previous year. The 10-year drugs strategy is underpinned by £30 million of new investment to tackle that scourge.

    The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 backs the police with improved powers and more support for officers and their families in recognition of the unique and enormous sacrifices they make. It means tougher sentences for the worst offenders and modernises the criminal justice system with an overhaul of court and tribunal processes.

    Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Con)

    I thank my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act. When I brought to this House the Desecration of War Memorials Bill, she immediately picked it up and ran with it and included it in the policing Bill, despite the mocking from the Labour party, including the Leader of the Opposition, saying that we were trying to protect statues rather than war graves and the war memorials to our glorious dead. Thank you, Home Secretary.

    Priti Patel

    I thank my hon. Friend for his support in making the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill an Act of Parliament. It is through that work that we are now able not only to protect and stand with our officers and back the police, but to have tougher sentences for the worst offenders and to modernise the criminal justice system. The most serious sexual and violent offenders will spend longer in prison. The maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker has doubled, and whole-life orders for those who commit premeditated murder of a child will be extended. Those are all key features of the Act.

    This Government are also investing £4 billion to create 20,000 additional prison places by the mid-2020s, and the GPS tagging of 10,000 burglars, robbers and thieves over the next three years will deter further offending and support the police in pinning down criminals at the scene of their crime. That is why this Government will not stop. The beating crime plan is exactly the plan to cut rates of serious violence, homicide and neighbourhood crime.

    Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)

    If the Home Secretary will allow me to intervene, I co-chair with the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Sir Robert Neill) the all-party parliamentary group on miscarriages of justice. We are looking at the real problems with forensic science since its privatisation. If we are going to catch more criminals and have a more effective criminal justice system, will the Home Secretary make it a priority to ensure that forensic science in every part of the country is as good as it can be?

    Priti Patel

    I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman and the work of that group. Forensic science and the investment that goes into it is absolutely crucial to making sure that justice is served, and that victims receive the justice that they deserve. I would be happy, perhaps with Ministers, to organise a meeting on this, because there is a great deal of investment and work in forensic science. That is primarily because crime types evolve, and, in terms of the way in which sexual violence cases such as rape take place, digital evidence needs to be treated in a very different way, with the time that digital downloads take and the implications for forensic use. We would be happy to meet and have further discussion, and perhaps share any information and any good practice that we are experiencing in this evolving area.

    The beating crime plan includes £130 million to tackle serious violence and knife crime. This complements the improved stop-and-search powers that we have given the police so that they can do what is necessary to keep people safe. This law and order Conservative Government are introducing several Bills in this parliamentary Session that will further help to prevent crime and deliver justice. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act was a major step forward, but elements were frustrated by the unelected other place, urged on by Opposition Members. We will not be deterred from our duty to protect the law-abiding majority from the mob rule and the thuggery that we have seen. The public order Bill will combat the guerrilla tactics that bring such misery to the hard-working public, disrupt businesses, interfere with emergency services, cost taxpayers millions, and put life at risk.

    Lee Anderson (Ashfield) (Con)

    The public order Bill, as the Home Secretary knows, will be music to the ears of many residents in Ashfield. We have seen these eco whatever-they-ares with their little hammers smashing up petrol stations. Does she think it is a good idea to give them bigger hammers and other tools and put them to work seven days a week like the rest of us?

    Priti Patel

    My hon. Friend, like me, believes in work, and that is effectively what we are doing in this Government—we are cracking on with the job, basically, in delivering on the British people’s priorities.

    It is important to reflect on this point: the dangerous nature of these protests should not be lost on anyone in this House. We saw in particular the recent Just Stop Oil protest, and there are other sites and oil refineries where these protesters impose themselves. It really is a miracle that somebody has not been killed or injured through the tactics that are being used. To give one example, in the county of Essex, £3.5 million was spent just on policing overtime to deal with those protesters, draining the resources of Essex police so that it could not protect citizens across the county, and at the same time it had to call for mutual aid from Scotland, Wales, and Devon and Cornwall.

    Despite Labour and the Lib Dems ganging up to prevent those measures from being included in the PCSC Act, we will act to support ordinary working people because we are on their side. The public order Bill will prevent our major transport projects and infrastructure from being targeted by protesters and introduce a new criminal offence of locking on and going equipped to lock on, criminalising the act of attaching oneself to other people, objects or buildings to cause serious disruption and harm. The Bill also extends stop-and-search powers for the police to search for and seize articles related to protest-related offences and introduces serious disruption prevention orders—a new preventive court order targeting protesters who are determined to repeatedly inflict disruption on the public. The breach of those orders will be a criminal offence.

    Modern slavery is something that rightly exercises this House. It is a damning indictment of humanity that this ancient evil has not gone away. This Government will follow previous Conservative Governments in doing everything that we can to identify it and stamp it out. The new modern slavery Bill will strengthen the protection and support for victims of human trafficking and modern slavery. It will place greater demands on companies and other organisations to keep modern slavery out of their supply chains. The Bill will enshrine in domestic law the Government’s international obligations to victims of modern slavery, especially regarding their rights to assistance and support, and it will provide greater legal certainty for victims accessing needs-based support. Law enforcement agencies will have stronger tools to prevent modern slavery, protect victims, and bring those engaged in this obscene trade to justice.

    In response to Putin’s appalling and barbaric war on Ukraine, this House passed an economic crime Bill within a day so that we could sanction those with ties to Putin. The UK is an outstanding country to do business in, in no small part because dirty money is not welcome here. An additional economic crime and corporate transparency Bill will mean that we can crack down even harder on the kleptocrats, criminals and terrorists who abuse our open economy. There will be greater protections for customers, consumers and businesses from economic crime such as fraud and money laundering. Companies House will be supported in delivering a better service for over 4 million UK companies, with improved collection of data to inform business transactions and lending decisions throughout our economy.

    The Online Safety Bill will tackle fraud and scams by requiring large social media platforms and search engines to prevent the publication of fraudulent paid-for advertising. It will address the most serious illegal content, including child sexual exploitation and abuse, much of which beggars belief and is utterly sickening. Public trust will be restored by making companies responsible for their users’ safety online. Communication offences will reflect the modern world, with updated laws on threatening communication online, as well as criminalising cyber-flashing.

    Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)

    The Home Secretary has expressed her outrage and disgust at the crime and abuse that is to be found online. Why has her party done nothing about it for the past 12 years?

    Priti Patel

    First, the hon. Lady and her party spend a great deal of time voting against the measures that we do bring forward on this. Secondly, the passage of the Online Safety Bill will give her and her party every opportunity to support us in keeping the public safe through some of the new offences that will be brought in.

    This Government were elected with a manifesto commitment to update the Human Rights Act 1998 so that we enjoy the right balance between the rights of individuals, national security, and effective government. The UK is a global leader with ancient and proud traditions of freedom and human rights. Our Bill of Rights will reinforce freedom of speech and recognise trial by jury. It will strengthen our common-law traditions and reduce our reliance on Strasbourg case law. Crucially, the Bill of Rights will restore public confidence and curb the abuse of the human rights framework by criminals. This is a welcome and much-needed update, 20 years after the Human Rights Act came into force, and it will apply to the whole of the United Kingdom. Human rights are not something that should only be extended to criminals. In what has to be the most twisted logic I have seen as Home Secretary, I have lost count of the number of representations I have received from immigration lawyers and Labour Members begging me not to deport dangerous foreign criminals. The Conservative party stands firmly with the law-abiding majority.

    The most vulnerable among us are not murderers, sex offenders and violent thugs, but their victims. Our victims Bill will mean that victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system, that they will get the right support at the right time, and that when they report a crime, the system will deliver a fair and speedy outcome. The victims code will be placed into law, giving a clear signal of what they have a right to expect. There will be more transparent and better oversight of how criminal justice agencies support victims so that we can identify problems, drive up standards, and give the public confidence. We are increasing the funding for victim support services to £185 million by 2024-25. That will mean more independent sexual and domestic violence advisers and new key services such as a crisis helpline.

    Edward Timpson (Eddisbury) (Con)

    I very much welcome the measures to put the victims code on a statutory footing, because these are very basic rights that need to be upheld for anyone who is a victim of crime. One of the other consequences of being a victim of crime is often the mental health fall-out from being involved in that crime and what follows afterwards—the trial or other matters. During what is Mental Health Awareness Week, I ask: what can be done to add to the victims code to ensure that those who find themselves in that unenviable position get the support they need so that they can get their mental health back as well as the rest of their life?

    Priti Patel

    My hon. Friend makes probably one of the most important points about support for victims, and also about how we can help victims to rebuild their lives and live their lives with confidence going forward.

    Within this work and the framework is the question of how we integrate many of our mental health service supports and the NHS more widely. The funding for victims, particularly in the areas of independent sexual violence and domestic violence advisers, is just one part of that. Legislation is only part of the solution. It is about how we deliver integrated services within our communities and also how much of the triaging takes place, whether that is through police and crime commissioners, the Victims’ Commissioner or even local policing, as well as mental health services in the community.

    Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP) rose—

    Priti Patel

    I will give way one last time.

    Jim Shannon

    I thank the Home Secretary for giving way. She mentioned £187 million, I think, for victim support. Will some of that money come to Northern Ireland? Will it be new money? Will it be part of the Barnett consequentials? How will it filter through?

    Priti Patel

    Many of these issues are devolved matters, but this is such important work—a lot of good work is taking place through the integrated end-to-end approach, and also through the scorecards that we are now setting up—that I would be very happy for the hon. Gentleman to speak to our Ministers about best practice, learnings and how the work can come to Northern Ireland. There is, it is fair to say, a great deal more that we do need to do in Northern Ireland, and I know we have had these conversations many times.

    The data reform Bill will modernise the Information Commissioner’s Office so that it can take stronger action against organisations that breach data rules. We now have more than 490 Crown court places available for use, which is comparable to pre-pandemic levels, and more than 700 courtrooms that can safely hold face-to-face hearings are open across the civil and family justice system. An additional 250 rooms are available for virtual hearings. In March, we announced the extension of 30 Nightingale courtrooms, and we have opened two new super-courtrooms in Manchester and Loughborough. Furthermore, we are ensuring sufficient judicial capacity by expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.

    The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 will mean that we can focus our support on those who need it most, not on those who can afford to pay the evil people-smuggling gangs to come into our country. The Act increases the sentences for those coming here illegally and means that people-smugglers face life behind bars. It also makes it easier for us to remove dangerous foreign criminals, as demanded by the British public but not by those on the Opposition Benches or those lawyers working to undermine the will of the public. The British public’s priorities are those of this Government. We are on their side, and we will continue to do everything we can by making this Act viable and workable and delivering for the British people.

    We are hospitable and charitable as a country, but our capacity to support the more than 80 million people worldwide who are on the move is not limitless. Many Labour Members and others on the Opposition Benches do not seem to understand that, but we do. It is why we have developed our world-leading migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda to deter illegal entry. We are providing solutions to the global migration challenges that countries across the world are facing. As ever, we hear very little from the Opposition, who seem to support the same old broken system and uncontrolled migration to our country.

    Two terrorist incidents highlight how we can never be complacent. The attack outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital last year would have been a disaster, had it not been for the incredible quick thinking and courage of the taxi driver involved on the scene. The terrible murder of our dear friend Sir David Amess was shocking, but not without precedent. We have worked closely together, Mr Speaker, to tighten security for Members, and we will continue to do so, and this Government will continue to work with our Five Eyes partners to keep the United Kingdom and our allies safe.

    The “National Cyber Strategy 2022” outlines my approach to tackling cyber-crime. We have terrorist activity committed online and information circulated by terrorist individuals and organisations. Going further, the G7 forum on ransomware launched new programmes, such as our work on economic crime, to counter illicit finance and commodities. Improving our international partners’ ability to disrupt organised crime and terrorist activity is a priority to which this Government are committed.

    In the past 12 months, we have completed a review of police firearms licensing procedures in response to the terrible and tragic shootings in Plymouth last August. New statutory guidance came into force in November. It improves firearms licensing safety standards and will ensure greater consistency in decision-making. The measures in the national security Bill will further protect our national security, the British public and our vital interests from those who seek to harm the UK. It delivers on our manifesto commitment to ensure that the security services have the powers they need.

    The Bill represents the biggest overhaul of state threats legislation for a generation. We have world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies, but they face an ever-present and increasingly sophisticated threat. The Bill gives them an enhanced range of tools, powers and protections to tackle the full range of state threats that have evolved since we last legislated in this area. It will also prevent the exploitation of civil legal aid and civil damage payments by convicted terrorists. The Bill enhances our ability to deter, detect and disrupt state actors who target the UK, preventing spies from harming our strategic interests and stealing our innovations and inventions.

    The Bill also repeals and replaces existing espionage laws, many of which were primarily designed to counter the threat from German spies around the time of the first world war. It will introduce new offences to address state-backed sabotage, foreign interference, the theft of trade secrets and the assisting of a foreign intelligence service. The Bill will for the first time make it an offence to be a covert foreign spy on our soil. A foreign influence registration scheme will require individuals to register certain arrangements with foreign Governments, to help prevent damaging or hostile influence being exerted by them here.

    Holly Lynch (Halifax) (Lab)

    Can the Home Secretary confirm whether the national security Bill will clarify whether it would have been inappropriate or unlawful for a Foreign Secretary to have met a former KGB officer, as we understand the Prime Minister did back in April 2018?

    Priti Patel

    If I may, I will not comment on that specific example that has been given. Actually, I think the focus should be on the legislation that is coming forward in this House, where there are plenty of debates to be had, rather than making a point like that. I think it speaks to how the Opposition treat matters of national security, and the disdain that they show to the significance of the threats posed.

    Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)

    Will the Home Secretary give way?

    Priti Patel

    I will not, because I need to make progress so that others can come in.

    The national security Bill provides us with powers to tackle state threats at an earlier stage by criminalising conduct in preparation for state threats activity. It will also mean that other offences committed by those acting for a foreign state can be labelled as state threats and those responsible sentenced accordingly. When sentencing for offences outside of the Bill, judges will be required to consider any connection to state threat activity and reflect the seriousness of that when handing down a sentence. There is also a new range of measures to manage those who pose a threat but it has not been possible to prosecute them. The use of these measures will be subject to rigorous checks and balances, including from the courts, but we cannot be passive, sitting around until someone does something awful.

    The Manchester bombing tore into the fabric of our freedom. It was a truly evil act that targeted people, many of them young or children, who were doing something that should have been a simple pleasure—attending a concert. The protect Bill will keep people safe by introducing new security requirements for certain public locations and venues to ensure preparedness for and protection from terrorist attacks. It will provide clarity on protective security and preparedness responsibilities for organisations as part of the protect duty, and it will bring an inspection and enforcement regime that will seek to educate, advise and ensure compliance with the duty. We have worked closely across Government with partners and victims’ groups, and I pay particular tribute to Figen Murray and the Martyn’s law campaign team for developing the proposals and working with us.

    These Bills further establish the Conservative party as the party of law and order, as do all the actions I have taken since I became Home Secretary. The people’s priorities are our priorities. Those on the Opposition Benches have only two responses, which they alternate between. Whether we hear splenetic outrage or total silence, their warped worldview means they have plenty to say about the rights of lawbreakers, but nothing to offer the law-abiding majority. We await their plan for a fair and firm immigration system that rewards those in need, not evil people-smugglers.

    Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)

    Will the Home Secretary give way?

    Priti Patel

    I will not; I am wrapping up. We await the Opposition’s plan to beat crime. We await their plan for a criminal justice system that protects victims and punishes the guilty. We will wait in vain, while the Government get on and do the job of delivering on the people’s priorities.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on the National Security Bill

    Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on the National Security Bill

    The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 11 May 2022.

    The British public should be in no doubt of my determination to keep them and our country safe from those who would seek to do us harm.

    The threat of hostile activity from states targeting our democracy, economy and the values we hold dear is real and ever-evolving – which is why the modernising measures included in the National Security Bill are so essential.

    These tougher laws and more powerful tools for our world class police and intelligence agencies, will be critical to help those on the front line deal with the threats we are constantly facing.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on Sending Migrants to Rwanda

    Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on Sending Migrants to Rwanda

    The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 10 May 2022.

    Britain’s asylum system is broken as criminals exploit and smuggle people into our country at huge costs to UK taxpayers. The world-leading migration partnership with Rwanda means those making dangerous, unnecessary and illegal journeys to the UK may be relocated to Rwanda to have their claims for asylum considered and to rebuild their lives there – helping break the people smugglers’ business model and prevent loss of life.

    This is just the first stage of the process and we know it will take time as some will seek to frustrate the process and delay removals. I will not be deterred from acting to deliver on the changes the British people voted for to take back control of our money, laws and borders.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on Sending Refugees to Rwanda

    Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on Sending Refugees to Rwanda

    The statement made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 19 April 2022.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the United Kingdom’s approach to the global migration challenge.

    The United Kingdom has a long and proud history of offering sanctuary to refugees. In recent years alone, we have welcomed more than 185,000 people through safe and legal routes, including from Syria, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and, more recently, Ukraine. In addition, we have welcomed more than 40,000 people in recent years through our refugee family reunion routes. This Government have done more than any other in recent history to support those fleeing persecution, conflict or instability.

    But we cannot focus our support on those who need it most or effectively control our borders without tackling illegal migration, which is facilitated by people smugglers—serious organised criminals who profit from human misery, who do not care about people drowning in the channel or suffocating in the back of containers. We must break their lethal and evil business model by removing the demand for their repugnant activities. This type of illegal migration puts unsustainable pressures on our public services and local communities. Every day, the broken asylum system costs the taxpayer almost £5 million in hotel accommodation alone. The cost of the asylum system is the highest in over two decades at over £1.5 billion.

    As the Prime Minister said last week:

    “We cannot sustain a parallel illegal system. Our compassion may be infinite, but our capacity to help people is not.”

    That is why the new plan for immigration and its legislative vehicle—the Nationality and Borders Bill—are so vital. Once again, I urge hon. Members and Members in the other place to follow this elected House in backing the Bill.

    At the heart of this Government’s approach is a simple principle: fairness. Access to the UK’s asylum system should be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. More than 80 million people around the world are displaced. Others are on the move because they want a better life. There is a global migration crisis that demands innovative and international solutions, and this Government are taking firm action.

    When we published the new plan for immigration back in March last year, we set out three very clear objectives: to increase the fairness and efficacy of our system so that we can better protect and support those in genuine need of asylum; to deter illegal and dangerous routes of entry to the UK, thereby breaking the business model of criminal smuggling networks and protecting the lives of those they endanger; and to remove more easily from the UK those with no right to be here.

    The Ministry of Defence has taken command of small boat operations in the channel. Every small boat incident will be investigated to determine who piloted the boat and could therefore be liable for prosecution. These reforms are a truly cross-government effort, including the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Crown Prosecution Service, Border Force and the Ministry of Justice.

    A nationwide dispersal system will be introduced so that asylum pressures are more equally spread across local authorities. Currently, 53% of local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales do not accommodate asylum seekers under the dispersal system. It is simply unfair that a national burden should be felt disproportionately by certain areas of the country.

    For the first time, the Government are building asylum reception centres to end the practice of housing asylum seekers in expensive hotels. A new reception centre in Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire will open shortly. Far from being outlandish, as some in the Opposition have commented, asylum reception centres are already operational in safe EU countries such as Greece and they are funded by the EU.

    Just last week, I signed a new world-leading migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda. Under this partnership, those who travel to the UK by illegal and dangerous routes, including by small boats across the channel, may be relocated to Rwanda, where they will have their asylum claims considered. Those in need of protection will be given up to five years of support, including education and employment training and help with integration, accommodation and healthcare, so that they can thrive there. The UK is supporting this investment in Rwanda over five years, boosting the Rwandan economy and increasing opportunities for people living there, further cementing the trading and diplomatic relationship between our countries.

    This is a bespoke international agreement reached last week with Rwanda; I came to Parliament as soon as was reasonably practicable following the conclusion of that agreement. The agreement is compatible with all our domestic and international legal obligations. Rwanda is a state party to the 1951 United Nations refugee convention and the seven core United Nations human rights conventions, and has a strong system for refugee resettlement. The United Nations has used Rwanda for several years to relocate refugees, and of course it was the European Union that first funded that.

    This agreement deals a major blow to the people smugglers and their evil trade in human cargo. Everyone who is considered for relocation will be screened and interviewed—that will include an age assessment—and will have access to legal services. In relation to accounting officer advice, contrary to reports in the newspapers, the permanent secretary did not oppose this agreement; nor did he assert that it is poor value for money. Rather, he stated in his role as accounting officer that the policy is regular, proper and feasible, but that there is not currently sufficient evidence to demonstrate value for money.

    It is the job of Ministers to take decisions—more often than not, tough decisions—in the interests of our country. Existing approaches have failed, and there is no single solution to these problems—something that I think Opposition Members may have encountered in the past as well. Change is needed, because people are dying attempting to come to the UK by illegal and dangerous routes. This partnership is the type of international co-operation needed to make the global immigration system fairer, keep people safe and give them opportunities to flourish. This will help to break the people smugglers’ business model and prevent loss of life, while ensuring protection for those who are genuinely vulnerable.

    This Government are delivering the first comprehensive overhaul of the asylum system and of this type of illegal migration in decades. At the heart of this approach is fairness. Access to the UK’s asylum system must be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. The demands on the current system, the cost to British taxpayers and the scandalous abuses are increasing. The British public have rightly had enough. Our new plan for immigration will improve support for those directly fleeing oppression, persecution and tyranny through safe and legal routes. It will deter illegal and dangerous routes of entry to the UK, make it easier to remove those with no right to be in the UK and provide a common-sense approach to controlling immigration, both legal and illegal. I commend this statement to the House.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Letter to Matthew Rycroft on Rwanda Plan

    Priti Patel – 2022 Letter to Matthew Rycroft on Rwanda Plan

    The letter sent by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, to Matthew Rycroft, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, on 13 April 2022.

    Dear Matthew,

    MIGRATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

    Thank you for your letter of 13 April setting out your current assessment of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda as the responsible Accounting Officer. As you know, tackling the longstanding issue of illegal migration is a top priority for this Government.

    Working together we have already successfully ended free movement and introduced our new Australian style points-based system, introduced the Government’s New Plan for Immigration and the Nationality and Borders Bill. Through these efforts and others, we will deliver a fair but firm immigration system. That means having an asylum system that prioritises support via safe and legal routes for the truly vulnerable, rather than one that is open to gaming by economic migrants and people smugglers, resulting in the loss of life.

    As we continue work to deliver these changes, despite best efforts, Home Office modelling forecasts that small boat numbers are expected to rise again this summer.

    As Home Secretary my primary responsibilities are to protect the British public and to act in their interest. That means taking steps to address the risks to human life, as well as the soaring costs to the UK taxpayer, that illegal migration entails. Those costs are now at their highest level in over two decades. The cost of the Asylum system stands at over £1.5 billion a year and we are spending over £4.7 million each day to accommodate migrants in hotels.

    We know there is no single solution to tackle the issue of illegal migration. While we understand it is not possible for HMG to accurately model the deterrent effect from day one, together with Rwanda, we are confident this policy is our best chance at producing that effect.

    It is only by introducing new incentives and effective deterrents into the system, as our international partners like Denmark, Greece, and Australia have succeeded in doing, that we can take on the criminal gangs facilitating illegal entry and break their lethal business model.

    I recognise your assessment on the immediate value for money aspect of this proposal. However, I note that without action, costs will continue to rise, lives will continue to be lost, and that together we have introduced safeguards into our agreement to protect taxpayer funding. And while accepting the constraints of the accounting officer framework set out by HM Treasury, I also think there are credible invest-to-save arguments in the long term.

    Finally, I also want to recognise the efforts of our frontline staff who have professionally and unstintingly responded a series of unpredictable migration flows to the UK as a result of events outside of their control. Each day I am struck by the extremely challenging work we are asking Home Office officials and Border Force operational staff at all levels to undertake. It is with this in mind that I also believe there is an imperative to act now to mitigate the impact on staff wellbeing as well as departmental operational and financial pressures in the longer term.

    It would therefore be imprudent in my view, as Home Secretary, to allow the absence of quantifiable and dynamic modelling – which is inevitable when developing a response to global crises influenced by so many geopolitical factors such as climate change, war and conflict –– to delay delivery of a policy that we believe will reduce illegal migration, save lives, and ultimately break the business model of the smuggling gangs. I am therefore formally directing you as Accounting Officer to take forward this scheme with immediate effect, managing the identified risks as best you can. I am grateful for our joint work on this issue, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to deliver for the British people.

    Rt Hon Priti Patel MP
    Home Secretary

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Speech in Kigali, Rwanda

    Priti Patel – 2022 Speech in Kigali, Rwanda

    The speech made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in Kigali, Rwanda, on 14 April 2022.

    I am delighted to be here in Kigali, Rwanda alongside our friend and partner Minister Dr Vincent Biruta.

    I would like to express my personal thanks to him and his team for the constructive way in which they have worked with my team over many many months to achieve and deliver this partnership.

    The UK has a long and proud development history with Rwanda. Our shared interests have resulted in strong economic and development growth lifting millions out of poverty, but also resulted in growing manufacturing and technology sectors, which are generating jobs and sustainable growth for generations to come.

    I know at first hand that your country, Minister is a regional and international leader. You are on the global stage, very much yourself more often than not but also hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the World Telecommunication Development Conference, and the Sustainable Energy for All Forum.

    Your national leadership is the African voice on international initiatives, which really speak to and seek to find solutions to regional and international challenges.

    I am very honoured to be here, and the United Kingdom is delighted to be working ever more closely with Rwanda.

    We have many, many interests in common, and we face many of the same challenges. I want to turn to one of those challenges now.

    The global migration crisis and how we tackle illegal migration requires new world-leading solutions.

    There are an estimated 80 million people displaced in the world and the global approach to asylum and migration is broken.

    Evil people smugglers and their criminal gangs are facilitating people into Europe, resulting in loss of life and huge costs to the UK taxpayer.

    The tragic loss of life of people in the Channel and in the Mediterranean at the hands of these evil smugglers must stop.

    And today, our approach as two outward-looking countries has led to the signing of a new international partnership – which is a world first. It is a migration and economic development partnership with the country of Rwanda and UK.

    This will see some of those arriving illegally in the UK, such as those crossing the channel in dangerous small boats, relocated to Rwanda to resettle and rebuild their lives in ways in which the minister has just outlined.

    More than 28,000 migrants crossed the channel last year by small boat in very dangerous and perilous conditions

    The UK asylum system is collapsing under a combination of real humanitarian crises and evil people smugglers profiteering by exploiting the system for their own gain.

    Criminals are exploiting the hopes and fears of migrants, pushing them to make dangerous journeys to the UK with fictitious and false promises that they can settle in the UK if they make it.

    This has devastating consequences for the countless men, women, and children who have tragically lost their lives or lost loved ones on perilous journeys.

    It is also deeply unfair, because it advantages those with the means to pay people smugglers over vulnerable people who cannot.

    Global systems and conventions have failed to address this global crisis.

    The world has changed and renewed global leadership is required to find new innovative solutions to this growing problem.

    Today the United Kingdom and Rwanda have signed a joint new migration and economic development partnership to put an end to this deadly trade in people smuggling.

    This is part of the United Kingdom’s New Plan for Immigration to control our borders, protect our communities, stop dangerous illegal migration, help the world’s most desperate people, and welcome international talents to the UK.

    It is the biggest overhaul of our immigration system in decades, underpinned by our Nationality and Borders Bill, which will soon become law.

    Our country, the United Kingdom, has always extended the hand of friendship to those in need.

    In recent years alone, we have proudly welcomed tens of thousands of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, and BNOs from Hong Kong.

    Rwanda has one of the strongest records of refugee resettlement and in recent years and as the minister has just said, Rwanda has resettled over 100,000 refugees.

    It has an established record of welcoming and integrating people, such as those from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, but also including, for example, people from Libya evacuated under the EU’s Emergency Transit Mechanism, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency and the African Union. Rwanda is also a State Party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the seven core UN Human Rights Conventions.

    Border control is fundamental to national sovereignty. Uncontrolled immigration reduces our capability and capacity to help those who most need our support. It puts intolerable pressure on public services and local communities.

    And at home, as the Prime Minister has said today, because the capacity of asylum system is not unlimited, the presence of economic migrants – which these illegal routes introduce into the asylum system – inhibits our ability to support others in genuine need of protection.

    The British people are fair and generous when it comes to helping those in need, but the persistent circumventing of our laws and immigration rules and the reality of a system that is open to gaming and criminal exploitation has eroded public support for Britain’s asylum system and those that genuinely need access to it.

    Putting evil people smugglers out of business is a moral imperative. It requires us to use every tool at our disposal – and also to find new solutions.

    That is why today’s migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda is such a major milestone.

    It is also very much in keeping with our vision for a Global Britain that harnesses the potential of new relationships and stimulates investment and jobs in partner countries.

    Working together, the United Kingdom and Rwanda will help make the immigration system fairer, ensure that people are safe and enjoy new opportunities to flourish.

    We have agreed that people who enter the UK illegally will be considered for relocation to Rwanda to have their asylum claim decided.

    And those who are resettled will be given support, including up to five years of training to help with integration, accommodation, and healthcare, so that they can resettle and thrive.

    This agreement fully complies with all international and national law, and as part of this ground-breaking agreement, the UK is making a substantial investment in the economic development of Rwanda.

    This will support programmes to improve the lives of the people in Rwanda and develop the country, economy, job prospects, and opportunities.

    In addition, the UK will provide funding and expertise to implement this agreement.

    As I have said many, many times, this is a global issue, with many countries struggling to address the challenges and the causes. And there is no single or simple solution.

    This agreement illustrates that we can no longer accept the status quo. People are dying and the global migration crisis requires new ways to find new partnerships and to find new solutions.

    It will deal a major blow to the evil people smugglers.

    We know this will not be easy, we know that we will face challenges along the way, but together with the Nationality and Borders Bill, and the New Plan for Immigration, the UK will support those fleeing oppression, persecution, and tyranny through safe and legal routes, while controlling our borders and deterring illegal entry.

    Our world-leading migration and economic development partnership is a global first and will change the way we collectively tackle illegal migration through new, innovative, and world-leading solutions.

    Thank you.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on Sending Asylum Seekers to Rwanda

    Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on Sending Asylum Seekers to Rwanda

    The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 14 April 2022.

    The global migration crisis and how we tackle illegal migration requires new world-leading solutions. There are an estimated 80 million people displaced in the world and the global approach to asylum and migration is broken.

    Existing approaches have failed and there is no single solution to tackle these problems. Change is needed because people are dying attempting to come to the UK illegally.

    Today we have signed a world-leading Migration Partnership with Rwanda which can see those arriving dangerously, illegally or unnecessarily into the UK relocated to have their claims for asylum considered and, if recognised as refugees, to build their lives there. This will help break the people smugglers’ business model and prevent loss of life, while ensuring protection for the genuinely vulnerable.

    This government is delivering the first comprehensive overhaul of the asylum system in decades. At the heart of this approach is fairness. Access to the UK’s asylum system must be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. The demands on the current system, the cost to the taxpayer, and the flagrant abuses are increasing. The British public have rightly had enough.

    That is why we are overhauling this broken system. Our New Plan for Immigration will improve support for those directly fleeing oppression, persecution and tyranny through safe and legal routes, deter illegal entry, and make it easier to remove those with no right to be in the UK.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Speech to Conservative Spring Conference

    Priti Patel – 2022 Speech to Conservative Spring Conference

    The speech made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in Blackpool on 19 March 2022.

    Fellow Conservatives, Friends,

    Two weeks ago I was in Poland – in Mediyka to be exact. On the border of Poland and Ukraine.

    What I saw was a human tragedy on an epic and heartbreaking scale.

    Women of all ages, with their children and grandchildren.

    They had left behind their brave husbands, fathers, sons and brothers to fight for the values, our values, of freedom and democracy.

    The very values which define who we are.

    Their lives had been packed into suitcases no larger than the size of a case, we would take on a short break.

    But, what I saw was the incredible response from our dear friends in Poland.

    From their Government, their volunteers and charitable groups who on the front line had organised the most professional response to manage and welcome refugees fleeing the war.

    I met members of the fire service who were working along side border officials, registering refugees and transporting them to reception centres.

    I visited a reception centre, which was a local school, now a place of safety to hundreds of women and children of all ages, which provided shelter and essential support for everyone within the centre.

    I met many Polish people, including young volunteers who had become frontline responders assisting with the humanitarian response, helping those in need during this time of crisis.

    I saw for myself the most remarkable humanitarian work of the Polish Government and the people of Poland.

    And I have to tell you, it broke my heart.

    I also want to tell you, that while the people I saw, who had crossed the border from the Ukraine into Poland, were desperate and distressed, they were not broken.

    Their resolve remained remarkably strong.

    I will share with you what I told everyone there:

    ‘The British government and the people of the United Kingdom are utterly determined that Putin will fail in his war against the people of Ukraine, and that we will open our homes and our hearts to Ukrainians.’

    We all share a human need to be safe. The UK will not walk by on the other side.

    We will always stand for freedom and the values which are fundamental to our way of life.

    Only one thing about this terrible war is simple and straightforward: who is right and who is wrong.

    Putin is the aggressor. His actions are completely unjust. He has invaded a peaceful neighbour and is unleashing monstrosities upon them.

    His forces are encircling cities.

    Shelling hospitals, schools, and care homes.

    As Hell rains upon them, Ukrainians know that the United Kingdom stands with them in their time of need.

    There are forces more powerful and persuasive than the apparatus of war.

    Democracy, friendship, freedom, love.

    There is widespread revulsion at the war on Ukraine. The United Kingdom is working with like-minded countries to impose sanctions on Russia the like of which have never been seen before.

    Putin’s cronies have hidden dirty money in our country. We don’t want it here.

    I fast-tracked the Economic Crime Bill – which received Royal Assent in the very early hours of Tuesday morning.

    The Bill gives us greater powers and more information to identify and investigate the illicit wealth of Russian criminals, their allies, and their proxies.

    A new property register will deter those seeking to buy UK property with illicit funds and dirty money.

    And the Treasury will have powers to act when financial sanctions are breached.

    More than one thousand individuals and entities have already been sanctioned.

    Their combined wealth is more than £100 billion.

    We are not stopping there. We will introduce a second Economic Crime Bill in the next session of Parliament.

    It will bring the greatest changes to the Companies Register in 150 years.

    We will bring forward reforms to prevent the abuse of limited partnerships, new powers to seize crypto assets from criminals, and measures to give businesses more confidence to share information on suspected money-laundering.

    No criminal or kleptocrat will be able to hide behind a UK shell company ever again.

    A new Countering Kleptocracy Cell within the National Crime Agency will target sanctions evasion and corrupt Russian assets hidden in the UK.

    And we will work with other countries to ensure there is nowhere else for Russian dirty money to hide.

    Throughout my time in government, I’ve seen first-hand the saddest plight faced by many people around the world displaced by conflict and the horrors of war.

    They include Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, Yemeni and Iraqi refugees across Europe, and people we have welcomed to the United Kingdom, including families from Afghanistan.

    The UN estimates that 3 million refugees have been forced to flee the conflict in Ukraine.

    Most of them, naturally, want to say as close to their homes as possible, in safe countries near Ukraine.

    And that is why we are doing everything to help the refugees in neighbouring countries as I saw in Poland.

    The Polish government requested concrete and practical help, rather than interference, and that is exactly what we are giving.

    And we are working with the Ukrainian community in the UK so they can make contact with their loved ones so we can help them come to the UK safely.

    But in the meantime, we will do everything to welcome Ukrainians here to the UK.

    It is not just a moral imperative.

    There is an enormous enthusiasm throughout our great country for extending the hand of hospitality and friendship.

    Britain is a country that always does right by those in need.

    We have a long, proud history of offering sanctuary.

    That is why I launched the Ukraine Family Scheme, for Ukrainians with family ties to British nationals and people settled in the UK.

    I had already announced the extension of leave for Ukrainian nationals already in the UK before Putin’s invasion.

    And now those joining us through the Family Scheme will be granted the right to stay in the UK for three years, during which time they can work and access public services.

    We want them to thrive here, just like the people we have welcomed from Syria, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan.

    And in order to ensure they do, we will make sure they have every means to do so.

    And it is not just Ukrainians with pre-existing links to the UK who are welcome.

    Those with no family here can come through our Homes for Ukraine scheme.

    Individuals, charities, community groups, and businesses in the UK can apply to sponsor Ukrainians and bring them to safety.

    Above all, it is the generosity of the British people that is at the core of our country’s response to the crisis.

    We have seen hundreds of thousands of people offer up rooms in their homes,

    Funding appeals which have soared.

    And behind every figure lies the story of a person or a family who can look forward to a better future because of the generosity of the British people.

    We celebrate that.

    But Friends, it will not have escaped your notice that our opponents claim we do not care about the needy and vulnerable.

    It is the opposite of the truth.

    Since 2015, We have resettled almost 25,000 men, women and children seeking refuge from cruel circumstances across the world – more than any other European country.

    As Home Secretary, I have given support to British National (Overseas) status holders and their family members threatened by draconian security laws in Hong Kong, creating a new pathway to citizenship for over 5 million people with 97000 visas having been granted already.

    And last summer we led the largest evacuation since Dunkirk in Afghanistan

    – under Conservative leadership, the United Kingdom has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people’s liberties.

    This government has focused on a post-Brexit immigration system that is open to the world and is fair.

    Where we welcome the best and the brightest through a points-based system

    – the brilliant, dedicated doctors and nurses now able to use a fast-track visa to come and work in our NHS –

    – and the brightest and best scientists and academics who now benefit from the global talent route into the UK.

    This is our New Plan for Immigration in practice.

    Cracking down on people smugglers means we will have the capacity to help those genuinely fleeing in fear of their lives.

    Safe and legal routes – like the ones for Ukrainians displaced by Putin’s war – are preferable to the dangerous journeys across the Channel organised by criminal gangs.

    We have added measures to the Nationality and Borders Bill introducing new visa penalty provisions for countries that pose a risk to international peace and security.

    Accommodation and other resources are not unlimited – we will be less able to help those in most need if we do not control our borders.

    All states have a responsibility to have a planned and controlled migration and asylum system.

    And to sustain them, that system – all of it – must be a fair one.

    This Government promised to regain sovereignty and we have made immigration and asylum policy a priority.

    Which is why What is happening in the Channel with small boats is unsafe, unfair, and unacceptable.

    The cause of this relentless flow of migrants landing on our shores are the vile people smugglers characterised by ruthlessness and greed.

    I know you feel angry and frustrated about this. I am too.

    This is not a challenge unique to the UK, but now we have left the European Union, Global Britain has a responsibility to act and address the problems that have been neglected for too long.

    You rightly ask what am I doing to change things?

    At the heart of our New Plan for Immigration is a simple principle: Fairness.

    Access to the UK’s asylum system should be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers.

    If you illegally enter the UK via a safe country in which you could have claimed asylum, you are not seeking refuge from imminent peril,

    But are picking the UK as a preferred destination.

    The present maximum sentence for people smugglers is 15 years. We are changing that to life.

    The use of hotels to accommodate arrivals will end and we will bring forward plans to expand the Government’s asylum estate to accommodate and process asylum seekers including for return to a safe country.

    For the first time, whether you enter the UK legally or illegally will have an impact on how your asylum claim progresses, and on your status in the UK if that claim is successful.

    We will also introduce a robust approach to age assessment to ensure we safeguard against adults claiming to be children.

    Through these and many other measures in the Nationality and Borders Bill which will return to Parliament next Tuesday, we are bringing lasting change to a broken system which is fair to those who need our support and firm on those who abuse our laws.

    The Home Secretary’s primary responsibility is the security of our nation.

    Some of you may have noticed the calls for me to suspend national security processes on people, have grown louder in recent weeks.

    But there are good reasons why Ukrainian refugees must come here safely and legally.

    I have been asked why we couldn’t suspend security checks on people escaping Putin’s war.

    Times of conflict emphasise our need to remain watchful.

    I know from the briefings I receive from the Intelligence and Security Services, that instability around the world brings with it greater threats.

    I sign warrants daily from our security and intelligence agencies relating to the extreme danger this country faces from all kinds of terrorism, serious organised crime, and state threats.

    Only four years ago, the Russian Military Intelligence Service used a chemical weapon on British soil.

    It happened in Salisbury – a beautiful city whose inhabitants would have felt completely safe.

    Dawn Sturgess could never have imagined that she would lose her life to Novichok.

    The truth is that a very small number of people can wreak utter havoc.

    Russia has a history of covert, hostile activity.

    I am afraid it is naïve and misguided to think that only men can be covert operatives –

    – or that refugee flows would not be subjected to exploitation –

    There are those who would come to this country who mean us harm, and who plot to strike at our way of life.

    The processes that we have put in place closely follow the advice of our intelligence and security services. They mean we can help Ukrainians in need, without making our country less safe.

    State threats and terrorism take many forms.

    They thrive on indifference and appeasement.

    And we are now seeing them supplemented by new types of targeted biological, chemical, cyber warfare, ransomware, and online threats.

    Our duty is to safeguard our country’s interests and we will never take our eye off the ball when it comes to the safety and security of our country.

    Getting on with the job

    Rightly, our focus is on the current crisis in the Ukraine, however at home we continue to deliver on the people’s priorities, for which you, my friends, campaigned so hard in 2019.

    The safety and security of our communities and citizens is paramount.

    Crime has unspeakable consequences upon those whose lives are scarred by appalling acts of crime, abuse, and violence.

    Our approach to crime will always be based upon seeking justice for victims and ensuring that perpetrators are subject to the full force of the law.

    Since we last met in Manchester, we have continued to back our police with the funding, resources, and laws they need to keep our country safe.

    Through our Beating Crime Plan we are well over half way to our target of recruiting 20,000 police officers.

    We are pursuing the appalling scourge of drugs – our actions on targeting county lines and the drug gangs are working as law enforcement go after the kingpins behind these deadly supply lines.

    To cut crime, we must crack down on drug use – which is why we have expanded support for drug testing on arrest.

    Illegal drugs are responsible for murders, serious violence, and neighbourhood crimes.

    And we will continue to reform police accountability, performance, and transparency to ensure that their focus is that of the British people – to prevent and to cut crime.

    Our approach is working – crimes including theft, burglary and knife crime are down.

    I will continue to be relentless in the pursuit of criminals to ensure everyone can be safe in their communities.

    Friends, I began my remarks by sharing with you what I saw two weeks ago in Poland.

    What I saw there, through the acts of kindness and care, were the very universal values which we as Conservatives hold dear to our hearts.

    The preciousness of freedom, safety and security which unite and bring us together.

    We value the enormous benefits of living in a free and safe society and we must always be resolute in our determination to safeguard them.

    What is happening in Ukraine is the saddest reminder of the depths to which humanity can sink, to strike out these values.

    Our duty is to safeguard our Country’s interests and to be reliable and supportive to our friends who share our values.

    It is right we do what we can to help Ukraine in its hour of need.

    Not just for their peace, freedom and security.

    But for the very values and freedoms we all cherish and live our lives by.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on the Work of the Home Office

    Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on the Work of the Home Office

    The statement made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 31 March 2022.

    Today I am updating Parliament on Home Office delivery since my statement of 16 December 2021. The Department is committed to delivering better outcomes for the public and will continue to work to deliver a safer, fairer and more prosperous United Kingdom.

    The Home Office’s humanitarian response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and our delivery of robust economic crime measures

    I am working with the Ukrainian Government and international partners to hold Putin to account and support the brave people of Ukraine.

    The Government launched two humanitarian schemes to provide a safe route for Ukrainians who want to come to the UK, quickly standing up the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. We streamlined the process to allow Ukrainians with valid passports to apply purely online and continue to work with partners to ensure that Ukrainians arriving here can access the right support.

    The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act provides greater powers to sanction oligarchs and businesses associated with the Russian Government. The Government have brought forth an additional 428 sanction designations since Royal Assent on 15 March. The legislation also introduces a new register of overseas entities, requiring those behind foreign companies which own UK property to reveal their identities, and strengthens the unexplained wealth orders regime.

    The oligarch taskforce is helping build cases against its list of oligarchs. Internationally, we are clamping down on sanctions evasion across jurisdictions through the Russian elites, proxies and oligarchs international taskforce. The National Crime Agency’s Combating Kleptocracy Unit is providing operational capability to target corrupt elites as well as the professional enablers of these corrupt elites and support criminal cross-HMG sanctions delivery and enforcement.

    Reducing crime

    We are focused on delivering our beating crime plan, making Britain safer with less crime, fewer victims and safer streets.

    As of 31 December 2021, we have recruited over 11,000 police officers, against our target of 20,000 by March 2023.

    Our work on serious violence has provided services to those communities most affected. We launched round four of the safer streets fund which directs funding to projects tackling acquisitive crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls. We are making progress on our work to tackle violence against women and girls; we have published our violence against women and girls strategy, published the first ever stand-alone domestic abuse plan and launched the “Enough” communications campaign which highlights the action people can take to safely challenge violence against women and girls.

    The Angiolini inquiry, set up to better understand how a serving police officer was able to abduct, rape and murder Sarah Everard and ensure that lessons for policing are identified and learned, started work in January 2022. The independent inquiry to investigate the death of Dawn Sturgess was formally established on 17 March 2022.

    Reducing the risk from terrorism to the UK and UK interests overseas, securing a safe and prosperous UK

    In February, the threat to the UK from terrorism was reduced to substantial from severe. Whilst positive, the security landscape remains complex, volatile and unpredictable as the attack outside Liverpool women’s hospital and the killing of Sir David Amess sadly reminds us. The Home Office continues in its efforts, working with operational partners, to build improvements into the UK’s counter-terrorism response.

    Enabling the legitimate movement of people and goods to support economic prosperity

    Since launching the points-based immigration system, we have continued to attract worldwide talent and skills whilst encouraging business to invest in British people. Latest statistics show the number of visas issued across work and study routes is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, 677,000 in 2021.

    We will in the coming period implement the plan for growth measures, including the launch of the new global business mobility routes, high potential individual route and scale-up route, which support inward trade and investment and provide UK businesses access to a more flexible pool of highly-skilled workers.

    Alongside new routes, we expanded capability for a fully digital application process in December 2021, improving our ability to re-use and re-check biometrics, allowing more people to benefit from a fully digital journey.

    We have supported the care sector to boost their workforce by expanding eligibility for the health and social care visa to include health care assistants.

    I announced a joint National Crime Agency and leading social media companies action plan to foster greater collaboration against crime groups that use online platforms to advertise illegal migration services; relevant illegal online content is already being removed.

    Tackling illegal migration, removing those with no right to be here, and protecting the vulnerable

    The Home Office is working to deliver a fair but firm system to ensure that we can better support those in genuine need of asylum, deter illegal migration, break the business model of criminal smuggling networks and remove from the UK those with no right to be here.

    Last year, I launched and consulted on my new plan for immigration and introduced the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is advancing through Parliament on its path to Royal Assent.

    The Bill will reset the legislative framework to meet objectives including the reduction of small boat crossings and deterring illegal entry into the UK. It incorporates tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the UK illegally by introducing a suite of asylum reforms and expedited processes to allow rapid removal of those with no right to be here.

    We have worked with France to dismantle 21 small boat organised criminal groups and secured over 500 arrests. Our joint activity with France prevented more than 23,000 crossings in 2021. Over 4,500 crossings have already been prevented in 2022, nearly three times the number to this point in 2021.

    I signed landmark agreements with Serbia and Albania to return those nationals who have no legal right to be in the UK.

    Our new and bespoke Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) opened on 6 January. This is one of the most ambitious resettlement schemes in British history. The first people to be resettled under the scheme included some of the c. 15,000 people who arrived in the UK under Operation Pitting, the largest humanitarian aid operation since the second world war, which prioritised those at particular risk, including women’s rights activists, prosecutors, and journalists.

    Windrush

    Our commitment to righting the wrongs done to the Windrush generation has not faltered. The “Windrush Lessons Learned Review—Progress Update” was published today. There is still more to do, but I am proud of our achievements and will ensure we can make the Home Office an even better place, serving the public with compassion, respect, collaboration and courage at the heart of everything it does.

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on Windrush Lessons Learned Review

    Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on Windrush Lessons Learned Review

    The statement made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 31 March 2022.

    Today we are publishing the “Windrush Lessons Learned Review – Progress Update” which focuses on the work undertaken by the Home Office over the past two years in response to the initial Windrush lessons learned review. I am grateful to Wendy Williams as independent adviser and her team for returning to assess the Home Office’s progress since the publication of her original report in March 2020.

    The initial Windrush review exposed unacceptable failings in the Home Office and an “institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race, and the history of the Windrush generation”. I accepted Wendy Williams’ findings when the original report was published and I continue to repeat both my sincere heartfelt apology to those impacted from the Windrush generation and the wider Commonwealth and my commitment to righting the wrongs so that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

    I published a comprehensive improvement plan in September 2020 which set out the actions we intended to take in response to the Windrush lessons learned review. I am pleased that, in reviewing progress, Wendy Williams concludes that we have risen to the challenge she set us. She states that there are several areas where very good progress has been made and structures have been put in place which should provide appropriate levels of oversight of the Department in the future. She has also seen excellent behaviour and initiatives from members of staff and teams.

    I am confident that we have started to deliver the meaningful change that the Windrush generation and wider public expect and deserve from the Home Office. I also believe that we have already made significant progress in creating the culture shift that Wendy Williams challenged us to bring about. I am proud of the work that we have already undertaken in response to the Windrush lessons learned review.

    We have now offered £45 million through the Windrush compensation scheme, with £37.7 million paid across 993 claims. We have also provided over 14,800 individuals with documentation confirming their status or British citizenship.

    Whilst commending our overall progress and commitment, Wendy Williams has identified areas where we still need to go further. She recognises the major programme of work which has taken place, and that the scale of our ambition to achieve genuine cultural change requires ongoing reflection, commitment to constant improvement and time. I welcome this progress update and we will continue to build on the progress which has been made.

    It remains our mission to make the Home Office a better place to serve the public. I am grateful to my permanent secretaries and senior officials whose dedication to improving the department and making amends remains resolute. I extend my gratitude to the civil servants in the Home Office and across government who continue to rise to the challenge that the Windrush lessons learned review has set us all, and who work tirelessly every single day in challenging and demanding roles to keep the public and our country safe. Like me, they recognise that there is much work still to deliver the vision set out in our comprehensive improvement plan. I am confident that together we can achieve that.

    The Progress Update will be made available on gov.uk at: Windrush Lessons Learned Review: progress update – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)