Jonathan Buckley
Upper Bann · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Sinn Féin's representatives in the European Parliament voted against proposals aimed at strengthening the management of illegal immigration and facilitating the return of failed asylum applicants — those who entered countries illegally — to designated return hubs outside the European Union.”
“Last year, Sinn Féin, alongside the open-border brigade of the Alliance Party and the SDLP, voted against my motion in the Assembly that called for action to address concerns about illegal and uncontrolled immigration.”
“People want an immigration system that is controlled, credible and properly enforced whilst ensuring that the genuine, heartfelt, lived experience and concerns of local citizens are at the heart of the debate. That is not an unreasonable position to take.”
“I highlight yet another example of a political party claiming to represent the views of people across the island of Ireland yet taking a position that is fundamentally out of step with the concerns being expressed by a vast number of people across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and, indeed, the rest of the United Kingdom, and t…”
“The Minister is aware and is, in fact, on record as having suggested that organised drug crime is happening in prisons. I have previously raised that matter in the Assembly.”
“Minister, I am sure that you agree that we cannot continue to leave residents in limbo. There has to be some progress on the matter. A number of unfinished developments have been lying stagnant for a long time, but the number is so small that it would not require that great an amount of money to ensure adequate facilities for residents, e…”
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“The Minister is aware and is, in fact, on record as having suggested that organised drug crime is happening in prisons. I have previously raised that matter in the Assembly. On the question of staffing levels, is the Minister aware of any incidents where prison officers have become intoxicated by inhaling illegal drugs or, indeed, prescribed drugs in prisons? If not, will she furnish the House with those details?”
“People want an immigration system that is controlled, credible and properly enforced whilst ensuring that the genuine, heartfelt, lived experience and concerns of local citizens are at the heart of the debate. That is not an unreasonable position to take. It is one that is shared by many hard-working people of all political opinions and none, right across this country and beyond. On illegal immigration, Sinn Féin, once again, is taking a different approach. It is out of touch on an issue that is clearly out of control.”
“Sinn Féin's representatives in the European Parliament voted against proposals aimed at strengthening the management of illegal immigration and facilitating the return of failed asylum applicants — those who entered countries illegally — to designated return hubs outside the European Union. Sinn Féin described the measures as "racist" and "xenophobic", despite the legislation's receiving the support of 418 Members of the European Parliament. The same party took the same position when the UK Government attempted to address the issue in part with the returns hub in Rwanda. <BR /> <BR />The public are increasingly looking for a serious conversation about illegal and uncontrolled immigration. If that debate can happen in the European Parliament, the reasonable question to ask is this: why not in Belfast?”
“Last year, Sinn Féin, alongside the open-border brigade of the Alliance Party and the SDLP, voted against my motion in the Assembly that called for action to address concerns about illegal and uncontrolled immigration. At a time when people were looking for a balanced and sensible discussion about the challenges associated with illegal immigration, those concerns were not acknowledged by those parties; rather, they were dismissed, and the people who expressed them were smeared and sneered at. <BR /> <BR />We now see a similar approach when it comes to the European Union.”
“I highlight yet another example of a political party claiming to represent the views of people across the island of Ireland yet taking a position that is fundamentally out of step with the concerns being expressed by a vast number of people across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and, indeed, the rest of the United Kingdom, and that is on the issue of uncontrolled and illegal immigration. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin's latest position follows a pattern that Members will be well aware of.”
“Minister, I am sure that you agree that we cannot continue to leave residents in limbo. There has to be some progress on the matter. A number of unfinished developments have been lying stagnant for a long time, but the number is so small that it would not require that great an amount of money to ensure adequate facilities for residents, even to ensure that they could pass their home on to their child should anything happen. This is a 23-house development. Will you engage directly with me on the development to see whether we can find a solution that allows us to meet halfway in order to ensure that the residents can get on with their lives and live in safety in their own homes?”
“Minister, time and time again, families have been failed. There is a growing call among all political parties in the House for an individual duty of candour. You mentioned a corporate duty of candour, but the families to whom I have spoken have said that that would preclude individuals who knowingly and wrongly covered up deeds. Will you ensure that you appropriately explore having an individual duty of candour to ensure that we can give comfort to families that wrongdoing will always be sought out?”
“Our collective thoughts today are with the victims of Jeffrey Donaldson. It is only because of their tremendous courage and bravery that an evil sexual predator is no longer free or the holder of high office. Jeffrey Donaldson: a fraudulent monster, a wicked deceiver and a convicted child abuser and rapist. There is nothing more despicable. A verdict has been delivered, justice has been done and a lengthy sentence should follow. We owe that to the victims in the case and, indeed, to the victims of sexual crime across this land. Justice must be served. To the many victims, let the case prove conclusively that no one, regardless of status, is ever above the law.”
“Minister, the administration of health and social care is probably the most pivotal and priority issue in devolved competence. I am sure that, like me, many Members and, indeed, the general public are increasingly concerned at the growing number of damning inquiry outcomes, investigations and reports, the potential need for redress and the fact that some in senior leadership seem to go through a revolving door in different parts of the Department. When it comes to action, where is the implementation of the new learning disability service model at present? We have often heard about that, but we have had no sight of the detail. Is the Minister prepared to release it in draft form?”
“— and common sense to be placed back at its heart.”
“Is it any wonder that many give him the title "two-tier Keir" — a man more interested in the international order than his own domestic order in the United Kingdom. He applied one standard to himself and, indeed, his political allies and another to the rest of the country. <BR /> <BR />Let us not mistake today's events for victory. One Prime Minister is gone, but the ideology that produced those systemic failures remains. If Andy Burnham succeeds him, it should not be assumed that the UK is embarking on a new direction. Changing the face at the top does not change the policies underneath. It would simply be more of the same, albeit delivered in a northern accent. This country does not need a rebranding exercise; it needs fundamental reform —”
“Time and again, he claimed to stand for working families, but where was that support when those families were battling the cost of living? Where was the relief for the people choosing between heating and eating? Instead, many people looked at their electricity bills and wondered how Britain, a nation blessed with so much potential, could see some of the highest energy costs in the Western world. <BR /> <BR />And then there was immigration. The Prime Minister promised to smash the gangs and to stop the illegal crossings, yet the boats kept coming. Just last week, more than 1,600 illegal immigrants crossed the English Channel in 23 boats. The British people have been demanding action on illegal and uncontrolled immigration for years, but, like so many before him, Sir Keir simply did not listen.”
“While prime ministerial resignations are a much more common occurrence these days — my six-month-old daughter is now moving towards her second PM — it is important that we reflect on what has been one of the most disastrous premierships in modern times. The British people were told that, under Keir Starmer, things would only get better; instead, families found life becoming harder, businesses found it more difficult to survive and confidence in government sank even lower. His legacy will not be bold leadership or economic revival; he will be remembered for stripping winter fuel payments from pensioners, taxing small businesses to breaking point and placing the future of family farms in jeopardy or maybe for pursuing eye-watering net zero targets and spending while ordinary households struggled to pay their bills.”
“Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. The Justice Minister has just challenged the Chair's ruling, which was that she was to quote the exact Standing Order to which she was referring. She did not do so. Is that in order?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would like clarity from the Chair on whether that was a point of order from the Justice Minister.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He is very generous in his interventions, particularly to the Chair of the Executive Office Committee, who has never been that generous in the past to facilitate him. <BR /> <BR />Perhaps some of the major difficulties that we face today have been caused by the Minister because she brought half a Bill. There is a book of amendments, and they are 10 times that of the Bill. Is that not one of the primary reasons for the Minister floundering in front of us today?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree that also included in the 1998 agreement was the petition of concern?”
“On a point of order, Deputy Speaker. A very serious allegation has been made. I will correct the record for clarity: I did not jeer; I said "Hear, hear" and "Welcome back".”
“Deputy Speaker, I note that other Members did not, but I ask again, from the Chair — I know that you very much, as Deputy Speaker, have done it on previous occasions — can you please just answer the question? Was that a point of order from the Justice Minister?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Earlier today, the Speaker made a ruling about abuse of points of order. Please will you clarify from the Chair, which you have done on previous occasions, whether that was actually a point of order from the Justice Minister?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member, like me, read the intervention from Jim Gamble at the weekend. He talked explicitly about the potential exploitation of children. He is an expert in the field. Does the Member agree with that analysis and why it is so important to ensure that we keep the criminal age of responsibility at 10?”
“Is it appropriate for the Member to allege that Members used masked men last weekend? That is clearly not true. In fact, it is defamatory.”
“That is right. You are only a johnny-come-lately. Your party is not.”
“There are questions to answer. Let us be clear that parties cannot come to the House and gaslight any Member who has been highlighting those concerns for years. You must step up. You must do better.”
“I have been contacted by constituents and people from further afield across Northern Ireland from south Armagh to Tyrone to Belfast who have caught on to the sheer folly of Sinn Féin's position of, "Brits out and everybody else in". It is absolutely on you. You come to the Chamber and say that we have no need to control immigration. You stand beside banners that say, "End deportations" and, "Open borders". It is ridiculous. <BR /> <BR />Just last week, I challenged the Secretary of State: 1,000 deportations from Northern Ireland in the past year. The Secretary of State told us that we did not have a problem. Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance told us that we did not have a problem. I asked him how many of those people came over the Irish border. He could not answer the question. <BR /> <BR />There is nowhere to hide.”
“I have never sensed a more out-of-touch political establishment that accuses people who highlight legitimate concerns. Mr O'Toole may have made light of it, but I can tell you now it is genuine and heartfelt. <BR /> <BR />Let us be very clear: no political leader caused the violence on the streets over the past week. The attempted beheading of a Belfast citizen by a Sudanese national who travelled across the world to enter our borders is what caused the violence in the streets. It was wrong: there should always be political alternatives. I have listened to Sinn Féin desperately try to rewrite the script on illegal and uncontrolled immigration. It is fooling absolutely nobody. The general public know that the horse has bolted and left the gate wide open.”
“My first thoughts are with every innocent human life that has been affected by the past week's events in Northern Ireland, with Stephen Ogilvie and his family following a brutal and savage attack and with every other member of our community who has subsequently been caught up. My party and I have always been clear that violence is never the answer and that there has always been an alternative. However, I have listened as some parties in the House have attempted to put the blame for the violence in the streets in the past week at our door and at the door of political leaders who have been prepared to stand up, not just now but in times past, against an uncontrolled and illegal immigration system that continues to fail our citizens.”
“— must come urgently to the House and explain —.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. We have just had it confirmed by the Chief Constable in the Great Hall of this very Building that the individual who was involved in the barbaric attack in north Belfast entered Northern Ireland from Dublin on 10 February 2023. Nine months later, he tried to claim asylum in Northern Ireland. I therefore call on the Minister of Justice to come urgently to the House — this elected forum — to explain to elected representatives what exactly has happened. It would appear that there has been a multi-agency and government failure, so —”
“We hear your concerns. We are listening, and it is high time that every other political party did just that.”
“No one who warned about open borders and illegal immigration desired to see our streets unsafe. Let us call a spade a spade. Those in political office, the open-border brigade and the media, who have targeted us and labelled us as far right and racist, have nowhere to hide. Our communities are our strength, and, for years, they have been systematically undermined. The national Government are a joke. They are rudderless, with no ability to deport illegal criminals and no ability to stop small boats. Their responsibility, first and foremost, is to protect the public. <BR /> <BR />To the people of north Belfast and those in communities across Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom who are anxious about the pace and nature of change in the place that they call "home", I say this: I hear you. The DUP hears you.”
“That cannot continue. When we have constituents coming to us time and time again and telling us that they feel unsafe on our streets, we have a duty to act.”
“Bring the facts into the open and bring them out now. We know that the attacker is of Somalian descent. I want to know his immigration status. I want to know who came with him into this great country. I want to know whether he has a criminal history; no ifs or buts. <BR /> <BR />For years, ordinary people have been raising concerns about safety on our streets and the direction in their communities that is changing beyond belief. Too often, those concerns have been dismissed. Those people have been patronised or simply ignored by sections of the political leadership.”
“This morning, we woke to one of the most graphic and sickening videos imaginable. The violence on display in north Belfast was utterly reprehensible: a man pinned helplessly to the ground while being brutally stabbed and slashed in live time on a street in Belfast. The sheer savagery of the attack should never be witnessed on the streets of any civilised society, least of all north Belfast. The scenes of an attempted beheading will stay with the people of Northern Ireland and far beyond for a long time. <BR /> <BR />Our thoughts are primarily with the victim. I am angry, but I am appealing for calm. Violence is never the answer. <BR /> <BR />In the immediate aftermath, there can be no room for hesitation from the PSNI or, indeed, the Home Office. They must place all the facts surrounding that disgusting attack in the public domain.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He referred to Lord Morrow's pioneering Bill of 10 years ago. In light of some of the comments that have been made, particularly those by the Member for South Belfast and the Member for North Belfast, and given the constantly evolving picture with AI and the internet, does the Member agree that, even though we are where we are today and the amendment will, hopefully, close more loopholes, it is inevitable that more loopholes will come, so we need to be proactive and vigilant in that regard to ensure that we safeguard women not only now but in the future?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Under Standing Orders, Deputy Speakers must act with impartiality and fairness when occupying the Chair. Earlier today, the Principal Deputy Speaker, Carál Ní Chuilín, appeared to allude to some Members' contributions as being "obnoxious". That falls far short of the impartiality that is required. Will you and your office review those comments and make a ruling, please?”
“Sinn Féin is so drunk and high on power that it has forgotten the very people whom it represents. Alliance is sneering, condescending and high-browed; I would argue that it never had a community in the first place. As for the Democratic Unionist Party, we will unashamedly stand up and intervene for the people whom we represent, and no amount of sneering or degrading will stop us ensuring that their rights are represented.”
“I saw elected representatives' attempts to ensure that there was restraint. I saw a policing operation with police dogs, three water cannons and riot cops try to move in on democratic protesters who had the legitimate right to be there. If we had not intervened, there would have been a riot. <BR /> <BR />We must get some balance. The people of Scarva are law-abiding people, and, while political attacks may come, I will not stand for the decent, good people of Scarva and the surrounding areas being pulled through the muck and called "thugs" by political opponents. They are decent people; they are law-abiding people; and they deserve respect. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP is supposedly the party of civil rights; it is now no more than a bystander on social media.”
“They have despicably targeted elected representatives and, in some cases, vilified and demeaned lady representatives who were on the front line, ensuring that there was peace and calm in Scarva. <BR /> <BR />Alongside colleagues, I have, for the past year, been engaging with the Parades Commission and the police on the tensions arising from the parade: a parade that deliberately and provocatively went through areas in which it was not wanted. Last year, it was banners of Hamas; this year, it was, "From the river to the sea". Those are the political connotations that go with that travelling circus wherever it goes. We have seen, in the United Kingdom, the consequences that those hate marches continue to push. It cannot be allowed to continue. <BR /> <BR />I witnessed first-hand the events in Scarva.”
“Over the past two days, we have seen political spin and opportunism go into overdrive. We have had elected representatives in the Chamber and beyond talk about Scarva who could not even spell the word. They talked about policing operations while they sat on their sofas, scrolling through social media. Meanwhile, there were targeted attacks on democratically elected politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party and other unionist parties who were on the streets in Scarva ensuring that a rightful, lawful act of protest that had been registered with the Parades Commission was able to go ahead. That was not good enough for some of the parties in this place.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. That was a key concern for me when I read the Bill. Does the Member agree that many victims across Northern Ireland would look on with concern if the fingerprints or other biometric details of individuals who were potentially connected to the murder of their loved ones were removed?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Does he agree that Mr Sheehan is entitled to his own opinion but certainly not to his own facts on the matter? <BR /> <BR />Minister, do you find it interesting that, when you returned to the core issue in the Bill, which is child safeguarding, and outlined clearly your intent to safeguard children, Mr Sheehan immediately objected in order to try to reframe the debate almost to make you the abuser rather than have it in the Bill that children have the foremost protection that this place can offer them?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. He sets out a detailed timeline of legitimate conversation, discussion and compromise with Executive colleagues, which is the right thing to do. Will he agree that it is of significant worry that it appears that the Sinn Féin First Minister and her Executive team seem to have turned 180 degrees following pressure from its three Back-Bench Members on the Education Committee? What does that say about leadership in Sinn Féin?”
“I am interested in the Member's view on how we can, in essence, crack the nut to ensure that we put safeguarding at the heart of this legislation.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I recognise her point about workload. A lot of complex issues increasingly fall to teachers, who then have to manage them on top of their already busy workload. But if the principle is reducing risk — in theory, inspection should reduce risk, particularly safeguarding risk — has the Member any suggestions about how we can ensure that inspections are not used as a bargaining chip? I can understand why a union would do it — I do not agree with that; neither, I think, does the Member, given that she has said as much — but we need to ensure that it does not happen. It is interesting to note that, in the other examples in the other jurisdictions that have a criminal sanction, it has never resulted in criminal proceedings.”
“Thank you to the Member for giving way. I find Mr McCrossan's comments about rushed pieces of legislation that have been a disaster interesting, when the SDLP itself voted for those particular pieces of legislation.”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. When it comes to the conduct of debate, I find that language to be totally inappropriate anywhere, never mind on the Floor of the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
“Let us engage in sensible discussions that are fundamentally about safeguarding young people and protecting the rights of teachers, but let us also ensure that inspection staff are not challenged and are unimpeded when ensuring child safety and the standard of education in schools.”
“That is absolutely ridiculous. It shows just how fundamentally misguided some of the opinions from Sinn Féin Members are. I do not know what Sinn Féin stands for when it comes to inspections in schools or the safeguarding of young people. It is cynically using a Bill that has the protection of children and school standards at its heart to advance political dogma. It is a dog whistle to the trade union movement — that is all that it is. <BR /> <BR />Let us get back to basics. Mr Mathison said that there has been an improvement in relations, and he is absolutely right. If we were able to have a sensible debate on the Bill, we could arrive at a place that satisfies teachers' concerns and ensures that the safeguarding of children is paramount. I urge Members to step back from dog-whistle politics.”
“Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I do not understand the drivel coming from the Member for West Belfast. I have not heard POC mentioned once during the debate. Even the most critically minded of Members would perhaps give me some credit. I never mentioned a POC. I am talking about —.”