Anna Turley
MP for Redcar · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“The UK is not seeking to participate in it, and there is no established mechanism through which non-EU, non-Schengen countries such as the UK can do so.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Our “requirement for agreement” model for victims of domestic abuse will not prevent data sharing where the individual is identified as an offender in another criminal investigation, allowing officers to use professional judgment to decide whether data should be shared.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It would require the Government to open negotiations with the European Union, but Parliament cannot legislate for the EU to agree to such negotiations with us. Whether discussions take place, and on what basis, ultimately depends on both parties and is not for the UK to unilaterally dictate.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I appreciate colleagues’ contributions on the new clauses and the amendment. New clause 22 would require the Secretary of State to publish a report on asylum decision making within three months, and amendment 62 would prevent part 1 of the Bill from being commenced until that report is laid.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Members will know that those who claim asylum are not normally allowed to work while their claim is considered. They may instead receive accommodation and support to meet their essential living needs if they would otherwise be destitute.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Government can pursue reform, stronger performance and different future delivery models through commercial and policy decisions without a statutory requirement to terminate every contract through its break clause.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“The judiciary are independent and may come to a different conclusion based on their interpretation of the facts. As I have said, we are working at pace on operational delivery and changes to our collection and publication of statistics. For those reasons, I cannot accept the new clause.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We aim to identify trends and issues impacting quality assurance and customer service, thereby reducing costs, safeguarding our businesses and asylum claimants, and ensuring that we get decisions right the first time. The hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion referred to the quality of asylum decisions and asked whether that is impacting on appeals being overturned. Appeals are heard before an independent immigration judge, who may make a different assessment of the facts and has the advantage of listening to testimony, including that of witnesses, as part of the tribunal proceedings. The Home Office will robustly defend decisions where it is right to do so, and appeals are allowed for various reasons—for example, new evidence may be provided that was not available to the initial decision maker.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Department is committed to progressing asylum cases in an efficient and cost-effective way that will not compromise the integrity of the UK immigration system. According to the latest published data, 93% of decisions are considered correct against the agreed quality-marking criteria. The volume of decisions checked has more than doubled, and refusals exceeded grants in the year up to June 2026, with 73,478 people refused protection or other leave. That illustrates the checks and balances in place across our system to ensure that it operates effectively and fairly, with published data available to underpin our approach. The Home Office has committed to a 2% baseline minimum sampling rate for decision quality, and a 2% baseline minimum sampling rate for interview quality in asylum casework.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Each year, the UNHCR and the Home Office agree and publish an annual work plan that sets out the areas of focus, objectives and activities of the quality protection partnership. The new clauses and the amendment simply seek to gather information similar to what already exists, and they are therefore unnecessary. In parallel with the legislative process, the Government are working on the operational delivery and changes required to establish the IIAA, and amendment 62 could delay that new body from starting its important work. I want to respond to a couple of the points that Members have made. The hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion suggested that a trade-off was happening between accuracy and speed in making asylum decisions. I refute that.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In response to the National Audit Office’s recommendations, we have begun a programme of work to strengthen the coherence of asylum data across the system, including progress towards a more unified, single system of truth. We have been taking our time to ensure that we get that right in relation to some of the information that Members have mentioned. It includes a data discovery exercise and a wider end-to-end design system review, alongside strengthened cross-system governance, which will together improve data quality, consistency and transparency over time. The Home Office works closely with the UK office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to help improve the UK’s asylum system.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Ministry of Justice already publishes quarterly tribunal statistics for the first-tier tribunal immigration and asylum chamber, and those publications include information on receipts, disposals and outcomes. Those statistics are publicly available and routinely updated on gov.uk. The full set of official statistics published by those organisations is kept under review, in line with the code of practice for statistics. Consequently, any shortcomings between the currently published data and the additions suggested by the hon. Member for Wimbledon can be considered outside the legislative process. It is important that Members have the chance to register where they feel there are potential gaps in the process.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I appreciate colleagues’ contributions on the new clauses and the amendment. New clause 22 would require the Secretary of State to publish a report on asylum decision making within three months, and amendment 62 would prevent part 1 of the Bill from being commenced until that report is laid. These provisions seek to establish new statutory duties to publish data on the asylum system. From the outset, I want to make it clear that the Government fully recognise the importance of transparency and accountability in relation to the asylum system. The Home Office already publishes a significant amount of data, in line with the statement of compliance with the code of practice for statistics. As part of the Department’s commitment to transparency, that includes quarterly transparency data on asylum case length and the number of decision makers.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That authority rightly has responsibility for processing referrals for migrants identified as potential victims, and would need to be aware of their immigration status to do so. For those reasons, I must respectfully ask the hon. Member to withdraw his new clause.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Through the 30-day recovery period, the national referral mechanism protects individuals from removal and while a conclusive grounds decision is being made. Although I understand the intention of the amendment, it is unnecessary and risks undermining the joined-up approach that we are working hard to achieve. A firewall for potential victims of modern slavery would not be operable, as it would conflict with immigration enforcement’s responsibilities as a first responder agency that is required to identify such victims. Where no permission to remain is held, it would need to be aware of that risk to inform its duty of care. The impact on the immigration enforcement competent authority would be even more significant.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That would prevent information shared following a notification about a suspected victim from being used to determine whether that individual has committed an immigration offence or may be liable to deportation. A firewall for potential victims of modern slavery or human trafficking would not be operable, as it would prevent immigration enforcement, in its role as a first responder organisation, from effectively identifying and safeguarding potential victims. Furthermore, appropriate information sharing is necessary to ensure that agencies have access to relevant health, welfare and safeguarding information, enabling them to understand an individual's vulnerabilities and fulfil their duty of care. Mechanisms already exist to support those with insecure immigration status who may be victims of modern slavery.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is why the Bill strengthens rather than weakens protections for victims by ensuring that the system works effectively to identify and support individuals and ensure that those who should not benefit are not able to do so. The Bill will rightly improve alignment with wider immigration support systems while maintaining protections for victims, including children. Changes made to support provisions ensure a coherent approach across Government—for example by preventing the modern slavery system from duplicating or undermining sanctions already applied through wider state services. New clause 15 seeks to create a firewall between authorities involved in the identification of potential victims of slavery or human trafficking, and immigration authorities or other relevant public authorities.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Before I go into the specifics of the new clause, it is important to express how important it is that both the modern slavery system and the immigration system are interconnected. That is the reality: we have to ensure that they operate effectively together. It is not possible to separate them—nor would it be right to do so. Although the measures are included in this Bill, their primary purpose is to strengthen the modern slavery system and ensure better support for those who need it the most—that also has an impact across asylum and immigration. We want to ensure that victims of modern slavery are identified and supported based on their experiences of exploitation, and not just seen through the lens of immigration.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There are now tens of thousands fewer cases waiting for conclusive grounds decisions—the final decision on whether someone is recognised as a victim of modern slavery based on all available evidence—compared with the peak in 2023. Faster decisions mean fewer victims and less time waiting for recognition of their victim status, helping them with their recovery. We have improved identification of potential victims of modern slavery by strengthening the national referral mechanism referral form based on stakeholder feedback, the development of a first responder toolkit to support high-quality referrals and a distribution of approximately 150,000 awareness-raising materials across eight immigration removal centres, including posters, leaflets and a self-identification tool.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I referred earlier in the debate to the statistic that the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire requests, but, off the top of my head, I believe it was a third of modern slavery referrals. Actually, I do not want to mislead the Committee, so I will come back to him on that. I flagged that statistic earlier, so should be on the record, but I want to ensure that I get it right. I will perhaps come back to it during the course of this debate, as we have more to discuss on modern slavery. Since taking office in 2024, the Government have demonstrated their commitment to tackling modern slavery in all forms and to supporting victims. We have delivered on our commitment to clear the unacceptable national referral mechanism backlog in just two years.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Ministers and officials will also continue to be accountable to parliamentary Select Committees. I hope that that reassures the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough that we support the spirit of his new clause and recognise the importance of transparency and scrutiny. However, an additional statutory duty is unnecessary. Again, I assure Members that they do not have long to wait; I urge them to contain their anticipation a little longer. For those reasons, I ask the hon. Member to withdraw the new clause.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Requiring a final implementation timetable for every White Paper commitment would risk imposing artificial statutory deadlines on significant and complex reforms while detailed policy development, consultation and, where appropriate, independent advice are still being considered. I think it might set quite a suffocating and inflexible precedent for Whitehall and Government policy development and enactment if we were to put something like this in a Bill that could then apply to every single White Paper—that could have a lot of intended consequences. We are determined to make progress and we are doing so, but speed should not come at the expense of getting these major reforms right. We will continue to keep both Houses updated as we deliver the remaining White Paper commitments.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Alongside the consultation, Ministers undertook targeted engagement with key stakeholders including We Belong and Barnardo’s, as well as trade unions, employers and other organisations representing those with lived experience and who may be affected by the changes. We have consulted widely and are carefully considering the responses. As I said, hon. Members do not have long to wait—I can reassure them on that front. On the scrutiny that hon. Members have mentioned, sufficient mechanisms already exist to scrutinise our delivery in Parliament without requiring an additional statutory duty on my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have made substantial progress across work, study and sponsorship routes. We have introduced skilled worker thresholds, the temporary shortage list and higher English language requirements for certain routes. We are reforming study routes and have strengthened the requirements that all sponsoring institutions must meet to recruit international students. I recognise that hon. Members may be particularly interested in our reforms to settlement. These are significant reforms. We received more than 200,000 responses to the consultation, including responses submitted on behalf of organisations. which was apparently the highest level of consultation responses since the consultation on gay marriage. This will be a substantial and radical reform, so it is right that we take the time to get it right.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We are making substantial progress. As we have discussed many times in this Committee, we are seeing a substantial decline—over 40%—in the numbers arriving by small boats. We are making progress towards our objectives in the White Paper. I have a spreadsheet in front of me of all of the substantial changes, many of which we have introduced and delivered through regulations, and I am happy to write to Committee members to set out our progress against the statement. We have achieved a huge amount that has perhaps passed their notice because it has been done through regulations and other things that they may not have been aware of. I am happy to set out our progress against the White Paper to them, because I can see from the information in front of me that we have delivered a huge amount of our promises and commitments.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am afraid I will have to reject the urging of hon. Members to disclose that information, but I assure them, as I said, that they do not have long to wait. New clause 16 seeks to place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to lay a statement before Parliament that sets out “a final deadline and operational roadmap for the full implementation” of the commitments made in last year’s “Restoring control over the immigration system” White Paper. I thank the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough for tabling this new clause. The Government are committed to delivering the reforms set out in the White Paper, which focused on restoring control to this country’s migration system. The Conservative Government allowed net migration of 2.5 million in just four years; under this Government, net migration has been cut to 171,000.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Once we have published our new core protection model, that will help inform and support our cohesion strategy. “Protecting What Matters” is a strategy underpinned by strong collaboration with local government and the voluntary and community sector to deliver a community-led approach to integration. As such, the content of the strategy should not be legislated for at this stage before meaningful engagement with communities has been conducted. Our approach to integration covers existing communities and new arrivals. Requiring the strategy to address a specific policy in primary legislation would prescribe part of its content before wider development and engagement are complete. For those reasons, I ask the hon. Member to withdraw the motion.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That includes commitments to set clear national integration expectations, and to develop an effective cross-Government integration strategy. The Government have already committed to developing that integration strategy, so requiring its publication under primary legislation is unnecessary. The strategy, its scope and its content are still being developed, and its development is being led by MHCLG. The Home Office is working extremely closely with the MHCLG on the development of the strategy—including, crucially, on how it interacts with the new core protection model for refugees. The hon. Member for Wimbledon asked why we have not yet published anything, and that is partly why: it is important that we do not put the cart before the horse.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As part of the MHCLG integration strategy, the Government will listen to people’s concerns and reset how we talk about in integration and cohesion, ensuring that it is grounded in shared values and meaningful action. At the same time, we have to restore order and control in a system for which public consent is so fractured. I thank the hon. Member for Wimbledon for tabling new clause 17, which would require the Secretary of State to publish an integration strategy, as announced in the social cohesion action plan, “Protecting What Matters”, and to address the impacts of the core protection model on integration in that strategy. In “Protecting What Matters”, this Government publicly committed to a new approach to integration that is based on values and that considers existing communities and new arrivals.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is urgent that we rebuild that, which is part of what the Bill does. The November 2025 asylum policy statement set out a fair and firm approach to restoring order to the system, which is essential to rebuild community cohesion and consent. By increasing public confidence in the integrity of the asylum system, the reforms will help to build trust and reduce tensions within communities. At the same time, the reforms support successful integration for those granted protection, enabling them to contribute positively to society. Integration is a two-way street: we all have a role in providing opportunities for people to participate, and our newcomers have a responsibility to engage with and embrace what it means to be British.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The impact of the significant increase in asylum seekers coming to the UK has been profound. To be granted refugee status is essentially to receive the ability to live in this country forever; until very recently, a refugee’s family could expect the same. Many refugees remain unemployed several years after being granted protection, and depend on taxpayer-funded benefits to live in the UK. We know that migration needs to be managed to support communities and cohesion. Where the pace of migration is too fast, it can make it harder to maintain community bonds and relationships. I know from the Committee’s discussions over the last couple of weeks that despite our different perspectives, all Committee members share the concern that public consent for the asylum and refugee system has fractured.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Department would still need a safe, lawful and deliverable replacement capable of operating at national scale. Serving termination notices prematurely would compress the time available to confirm the future, obtain commercial and legal approvals, procure and mobilise replacement services, transfer operational data and responsibilities, and manage the impact on local authorities and existing suppliers. It could also cut across our immediate priority of reducing reliance on more expensive hotel accommodation. Existing providers remain central to growing dispersed accommodation and supporting the transition away from hotels. Hon. Members have already referred to that transition; it was a key manifesto commitment of this Government. It has already saved the taxpayer over £1 billion.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The seven regional contracts can be terminated on at least 270 days’ notice and that right may be exercised independently for individual contracts, allowing termination to be staged where appropriate. However, having the contractual right to terminate is not the same as having replacement accommodation immediately available at the scale required. The Government must retain the ability to consider service continuity, accommodation capacity, market readiness, value for money and the needs of residents and local communities before deciding whether and when to end any contract. The contracts provide more than accommodation alone; they support housing, transport, food and facilities management for people in the asylum system. Terminating all seven contracts would not remove the underlying requirement to provide those services.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I appreciate the contributions from hon. Members on this important issue. New clause 18 would require the Secretary of State to exercise every available break clause in each asylum accommodation and support services contract as soon as reasonably practicable. I thank the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough for tabling the new clause. The Government recognise the concerns about the current asylum accommodation system and are committed to securing better performance, better value for money and an accommodation model that works for communities and those who rely on it. However, a blanket statutory duty to exercise every break clause would not provide a responsible or sustainable route to reform. The Government have the contractual right to terminate the asylum accommodation and support services contracts.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That will enable us to restore the confidence and consent of the British people. For those reasons, I ask the hon. Member to withdraw the motion.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Government can pursue reform, stronger performance and different future delivery models through commercial and policy decisions without a statutory requirement to terminate every contract through its break clause. The Department is reviewing and improving the existing arrangements while developing the future model for asylum accommodation and support. Future contracts will focus on value for money, transparency and pricing. I reiterate to all colleagues that the Government are absolutely committed to restoring order and control in the entirety of the asylum system. Ending small boats arrivals, introducing safe and legal routes and all this reform will allow us to have a far more managed, controlled and sustainable approach to the asylum accommodation system, which in recent years has exploded and been completely out of control.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We are able to do all that within the existing framework. The issue for us is how to secure sustainable reform to the broader asylum accommodation process while protecting continuity and value for money. Ending the contracts without replacement provision ready to mobilise would disrupt essential accommodation and support, create avoidable cost and place additional pressures on local authorities and other partners. The new clause does not set out how those risks would be managed. Decisions on break clauses should be taken on the evidence and in the public interest, alongside work to improve the current service and develop future arrangements.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I cannot give the Committee the exact number of individuals in hotels—I do not have that to hand—but I am again happy to write to the hon. Gentleman. Rest assured, we will be out of all hotels by the end of this Parliament. We are on track to deliver that. Every day, we strain every sinew to make that happen. That does of course mean working with other providers of dispersal accommodation, but we are very clear in our engagements with those providers that value for money, community cohesion and other aspects are important. The hon. Gentleman mentioned standards and current contracts. We are not complacent about that at all. We can and regularly do challenge performance. We can enforce contractual standards and consider different future delivery models without accepting a blanket legal duty to terminate every contract.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. As I said, it is our manifesto commitment and I do not think that there is anyone in this Committee Room—or probably in this square mile—who spends as much time as I do each day desperately pushing and pressing to close hotels around the country. Every day hon. Members tell me about the challenges that their hotel poses to community cohesion, and about the quality and the expense of the accommodation. To us that is a key manifesto pledge. I will respond to the hon. Gentleman’s questions. We have said that we will be out of all hotels by the end of this Parliament. We remain absolutely on course for that. We are now at a level of 160 hotels, which is almost half the amount that we inherited.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The proposed scheme would quickly overwhelm the asylum system and its associated support services, requiring us to redistribute limited resources in order to support it. I therefore invite the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough to withdraw his new clause.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“They enable effective checks to be made against immigration and criminality records in order to identify those who may pose a threat to our national security, public safety and immigration controls, and who are likely to breach our laws should they enter the UK. For the reasons set out, I cannot support a new clause that is so vast in scope and would undermine our efforts to restore order and control to the immigration and asylum systems. An uncapped route would add significant pressures for our decision makers and increase the cost of running our accommodation and support systems, as well as the justice system. The ability of local authorities and other services to support refugees is already under strain, and this uncontrollable scheme would only increase that pressure.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Those who come to Britain on these routes will be placed on a five-year path to permanent settlement. This is, by design, more generous than provision for those who arrive by small boat or other illegal means, as the Government seek to disincentivise illegal routes and encourage capped, safe and legal routes instead. It forms part of the Government’s efforts to restore order and control to the immigration system. I now turn to the provision that would enable biometrics to be waived. Collection of biometric data in the form of fingerprints and facial images is essential to the UK immigration system in order to support identity assurance and suitability checks on those subject to immigration control.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“This will be carried out in partnership with the United Nations refugee agency—the UNHCR, which is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees—and the International Refugee Assistance Project, IRAP, which identifies and refers refugees through established processes. The scheme builds on the UK’s long history of protecting people fleeing war and persecution. That includes refugees from the Syrian civil war, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and historical commitments to the people of Hong Kong. The Government expect total arrivals across the UK resettlement scheme and the three new community sponsorship routes to number in the hundreds at first, but that will grow into the low thousands as levels of illegal migration fall. A cap will be set each year.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We will ensure that the rules are properly enforced. In order to restore control in the system, it is also imperative that we make the system fairer by providing alternative routes to dangerous journeys. That is why we are restarting referrals to the UK resettlement scheme and launching new safe and legal routes to enable communities, universities and employers to sponsor refugees to resettle in the UK. As I have said, more detail on that will come shortly, and I refer Members to a written statement that I have placed in the House this afternoon, so that they can avail themselves of it. I am happy to discuss the matter further. About one in four referrals to the UK resettlement scheme will be for Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees fleeing war and persecution.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“However, we cannot consider asylum claims from the vast numbers overseas who might like to come here. According to the UNHCR, there are 35.6 million refugees and other people in need of international protection, so I ask the hon. Gentleman how many he thinks would like to come to this country—I think would be a pretty substantial number. The fastest route to safety is claiming asylum in the first safe country that can be reached, and that is a principle that we support. The Bill is part of the Government’s policy to restore order and control to our immigration and asylum systems. We will do this by reforming the system to ensure that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. That means strengthening the border and protecting migrants from the systematic abuse that has caused so much damage.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank hon. Members for their important points and questions. I may be able to come back to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough with some more information in future. His new clause would create a new humanitarian travel permit. To reiterate, as we have many times in this Committee, the UK has a proud history of offering protection to those who are genuinely fleeing war and persecution. In recent years, this has included the operation of the Ukraine schemes and other UK resettlement schemes. The immigration rules do not provide for someone to travel to the UK to seek asylum. We appreciate that there are people in many difficult situations around the world for whom travel to the UK would be difficult or impossible and we sympathise with them.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Law enforcement agencies receive funding through established mechanisms including the annual police funding settlement for police forces in England and Wales, the police precept and dedicated funding arrangements for the National Crime Agency. The Government already keep policing and operational capacity under review and make funding decisions through the spending review and annual funding process. In the light of what I have set out, we do not consider it necessary to place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to ensure “sufficient resources”, as that is par for the course and expected of every Secretary of State.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That also includes a Power app for policing, which has been developed for use on police-issued devices to provide officers with practical, accessible guidance on identifying potential signs of exploitation at the earliest opportunity, as well as information on making appropriate referrals to the NRM, which is helping to support a consistent and victim-centred response. Between February 2021 and June 2024, some 620 police officers attended the modern slavery and human trafficking officer training course, and many are continuing their own training. That is College of Policing-accredited, so it can be delivered where needed.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery. The framework and related guidance material are available to all officers in England and Wales through an online knowledge hub and have been incorporated into the College of Policing’s applied professional practice on modern slavery. That will ensure that policing retains a nationally consistent standard for modern slavery investigations.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is why support is available to victims, including through the independent child trafficking guardianship service, which helps child victims to navigate the criminal justice system and supports efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. We are also strengthening the tools available to law enforcement. Through this Bill, we are enhancing and strengthening the slavery and trafficking prevention and risk orders. We have also created new offences of child criminal exploitation, cuckooing and internal concealment. These measures ensure that police and the courts have a full suite of powers to disrupt offending and hold perpetrators to account. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery, which includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle these crimes.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That has been an instrument in improving law enforcement response to modern slavery, and there are more investigations and prosecutions now than when the programme began. The Department will continue to work with police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, co-ordinated approach to identifying, disrupting and tackling modern slavery. As this Committee has discussed many times, the clauses relating to modern slavery are inherently complex to investigate and prosecute. Victims often may not recognise themselves as victims, or may be too traumatised, fearful of their exploiters or distrustful of authorities to engage with the criminal justice process.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to the hon. Member for tabling his new clause and raising this important issue. New clause 20 “would require the Secretary of State to ensure that law enforcement agencies have sufficient resources to undertake their duties in relation to the prevention of modern slavery and human trafficking”. We share hon. Members’ commitment to ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice. The modern slavery programme was established in 2017 as a transformation programme. At that time, it was an interim measure; we were keen to see, and are now seeing, the longer-term intention of embedding modern slavery expertise and best practice in our policing as part of its core duties and business as usual.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The UK is represented at Europol and in the European multidisciplinary platform against criminal threats, and participates in relevant operational taskforce initiatives, joint action days and operational actions to tackle modern slavery. We will continue to work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for modern slavery, the National Crime Agency, and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, co-ordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted and tackled. For those reasons, the Government cannot support the new clause, and I invite the hon. Member to withdraw it.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I appreciate the point that the hon. Gentleman raises. The Government are very proud of our efforts on devolution, but I am not aware of funding relating to the Home Office being devolved in this area. I will have to pick the matter up with him separately, because I am not sure that what he is referring to would apply here. The funding settlement will continue to be decided nationally. Perhaps we can pick the matter up outside the Committee, but I do not think that is the case. In the light of what I have set out, we do not consider it necessary to place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to ensure “sufficient resources”, as this would be unnecessary and duplicate existing responsibilities.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Many ECAT signatories do not have a stand-alone, bespoke and comprehensive NRM similar to the UK. Other ECAT signatories identify and support far fewer victims than the UK. According to the 2025 US “Trafficking in Persons” report, France identified 362 human trafficking victims compared with the 16,938 referrals made by the UK in 2022. I therefore cannot accept the new clause and I respectfully ask the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Given those points, the requirements that would be imposed by the new clause are unnecessary; they would divert work into unnecessary reporting and would not add anything to the current system. As I have mentioned, we continue to work with international bodies to enhance the Government’s approach to tackling modern slavery. That includes working with the Council of Europe’s group of experts on action against trafficking in human beings—GRETA—with the US’s “Trafficking in Persons” report, and with the UN alliance. As mentioned in previous debates, we refer more people to modern slavery protection than the rest of Europe put together, so we are already in a strong position and do not need to restrict ourselves through a full replication of ECAT.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗