Yesterday my Conservative colleagues and I voted against Labour's soft Borders Bill and stopped a Liberal Democrat amendment which would allow asylum seekers to work while their applications are being processed and make a bad situation worse.
This follows the Deportation Bill which Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch launched last week to fix Labour's broken immigration system. Labour and the Lib Dems are not serious about stopping illegal immigration. The Conservatives have stepped up with a serious, detailed and uncompromising alternative - one that the British people can rely on to keep our borders secure.
Let's not kid ourselves. While there were mitigating circumstances - our nation had a duty to offer refuge to Hong Kongers and Ukrainians - immigration was too high under the previous government. We boxed ourselves into a corner without getting a grip of outdated legal restrictions which have hamstrung successive governments.
The Conservative's Deportation Bill meets this challenge head on, setting out tough, practical measures designed to end abuse, enforce the law, and put British interests first. This includes automatic deportation for anyone who arrives in the country illegally.
