I’ve been going through the results of my annual summer survey of Bassetlaw residents. The results of my survey were clear. The number one issue, chosen by 46% of residents, is immigration and asylum.
I recognise the anger and sense of unfairness many people feel about illegal immigration. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill is still working its way through Parliament, and is yet to become law. But my survey show that we must go further, and faster.
We need to face the fact that the European Convention on Human Rights, signed 75 years ago, is outdated and ready for an overhaul to bring it into the modern age. Nine other countries have raised concerns about how it restricts their ability to expel foreign nationals who commit crimes. We should work with them to update the treaty, keeping the important protections it provides to ensure that the horrors of the Second World War are never repeated.
In 2022, Jenrick and Badenoch brought in the Borders and Nationality Act, requiring all asylum seekers to reach British soil before they can make a claim. Whether or not someone qualifies for asylum is a separate question, but forcing people to cross the Channel in small boats has only driven the numbers higher.
It’s time to scrap this flawed Act and instead set-up visa centres elsewhere. Processing people at the point of contact rather than having to manage them in hotels and HMOs across our country will become a vital tool in bringing our border back under control. My survey found that 66% of residents believe asylum claims should be made in the first safe country people reach.
The French say that the big pull to come to Britain is the ease of getting a job. For years, Bassetlaw residents have supported the idea of ID cards, and this summer 74% once again backed the introduction of a digital ID system. This would be required to access public services, to start a new job or open a bank account, and prevent those here illegally from accessing public services. Many countries already use this technology, and we’ve taken the first steps with the introduction of digital driving licences.
I know that the accelerator pedal is down, and I welcome the extensive new powers in the government’s Borders Bill to tackle illegal boat crossings, but the gears need to shift faster to move at speed and regain control of our border.