Priti Patel accused Labour of always standing up for “unlimited migration” as she responded to a question on how the Government is dealing with the small boats crisis.
The Home Secretary invited shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds to give ideas for how to tackle the crisis after she outlined measures in the Nationality and Borders Bill designed to address the problem.
Ms Patel said: “If any members have concrete proposals that are not already featured in the new plan for immigration, I would be happy to discuss and meet with them because my door is always open, particularly to those members on the opposite benches.
“Because of course they attack the new plan for immigration, they have not supported it, they voted against it and not because they are genuinely frustrated at the number of illegal migrants entering our country like those on this side of the House and the British public, but because they will always stand up for unlimited migration, free movement and they always said that and will do.”
Labour’s Nick Thomas-Symonds said he had asked the Home Office to facilitate a visit for him to Calais, adding: “I still have no substantive response, what do ministers have to hide?”
On the Nationality and Borders Bill, he added: “A Bill that breaches the refugee convention, reduces protections for victims of modern slavery and will not help the situation in the Channel is not worthy of the support of the opposition.”
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on board the Dover lifeboat, following a small boat incident in the Channel.
Gareth Fuller
He added: “Who actually is in charge of immigration policy, is it the home secretary or is it the Cabinet Office and isn’t the fact that another cabinet minister has had to be brought in evidence of the fact that the Home Secretary has lost control of this dangerous situation.”
Priti Patel told MPs: “This is a whole-of-Government effort, there is no single solution to fixing a global migration crisis.”
On Mr Thomas-Symonds’ request to visit Calais, she added: “From my last record, the UK is not responsible for visits to Calais. (I will) happily take you to some of our processing sites around the rest of the country.”
On the proposed Bill, added: “The long-term solution to breaking the model, to reforming the asylum system, to deterring illegal migration, addressing the underlining pull factors of the UK’s asylum system, it will introduce a one-stop appeal process… it’ll ensure that asylum claims can be heard offshore in a third country.”