All Party Parliamentary Group on Immigration

11 May 2023

I was very pleased to have spent yesterday in Paris with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Immigration. We met with French MPs and with our excellent Ambassador and her team. Really useful discussions about how France and the UK can work together to end the dangerous Channel crossings.

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My Message to Braverman? Get the Job Done

10 May 2023

As the Government’s Bigger Backlog Bill is debated in the Lords, I’ve been setting out how the Home Sec needs to get on with the job, rather than chase headlines with unworkable & expensive gimmicks. Labour has a 5-point plan to end the channel crossings. Read the full piece and…

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The Chaos at Dover Must be Fixed

28 Apr 2023

The chaos at Dover must be fixed. But the Tories have resorted to short-changing communities by taking money meant for boosting local jobs & high streets, in a desperate attempt to fix our broken borders. So much for levelling up. Read my piece in the Daily Mirror: Tory levelling-up cash…

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Illegal Migration Bill – Report Stage

27 Apr 2023

I continued my work as Shadow Immigration Minister on holding the UK Government to account and representing Labour during the Illegal Migration Bill report stage. You can see my full intervention above.

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Asylum Backlog Statistics

04 Apr 2023

I’ve asked the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to correct the record – in line with the Ministerial Code – after the statistics regulator ruled that the asylum backlog had increased by 147,000 since 2010 (not ‘halved’ as PM claimed!) Under the Tories it is 8x higher than under the last…

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My Piece on Dangerous Channel Crossings in The Times

30 Mar 2023

The Tories’ costly and illegal Migration Bill is a sham, designed only to chase headlines. It won’t work and will make the situation worse. Labour has a comprehensive plan to stop the crossings and fix our broken asylum system. My piece in The Times: “The prime minister and the home…

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Illegal Migration Bill – Committee Day 2

28 Mar 2023

My speech on the Illegal Migration Bill – Committee Day 2.

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Illegal Migration Bill – Committee Day 1

27 Mar 2023

My speech for Illegal Migration Bill – Committee Day 1.

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Asking the Government to Correct Record on Asylum Backlog Figures

27 Mar 2023

Yesterday, I raised a Point of Order on the completely false & deeply misleading claims made by Sunak & his ministers about the size of the asylum backlog under the last Labour Government. The Prime Minister must apologise to the House & urgently correct the record, as he is duty-bound…

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Illegal Migration Bill: Asylum Seekers

20 Mar 2023

I questioned the Home Secretary on her unethical, unaffordable and unworkable Rwanda plan for asylum seekers. My question: “The Government’s new asylum legislation is a sham that is set to worsen the backlog, because they do not have the facilities to detain tens of thousands of asylum seekers, or a…

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Labour’s Response to the Tories Illegal Migration Bill

14 Mar 2023

I gave Labour’s response to the Tories Illegal Migration Bill last night. The Illegal Immigration Bill is a con and a sham. Conservative Ministers have nowhere to return asylum seekers who arrive on small boats because they have failed to replace the agreement we had with the EU. They need…

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The Tory backlog of 143,000 asylum seekers is the root cause of this hotel crisis

23 Nov 2022

The Tory backlog of 143,000 asylum seekers is the root cause of this hotel crisis. This huge decline in decision-making is a result of the Tories demoting decision-makers down the pay scale, creating recruitment troubles. The Minister failed to answer a single one of my questions. Stephen Kinnock: It seems…

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The Conservative government’s recent legislation is making the asylum backlog even worse

14 Nov 2022

The Conservative government’s recent legislation is making the asylum backlog even worse, with 16,000 asylum seekers having to wait an extra 6 months for a decision at great cost to the taxpayer. As usual, lots of bluster from Braverman but no attempt to answer to my question. Stephen Kinnock: The…

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Labour supports a points-based system – but it needs improvements

08 Nov 2022

Labour supports a points-based system – but it needs improvements to make sure we tackle the exploitation of migrant workers, which is also bad for British workers who might be being undercut and for employers who need to attract talent. Stephen Kinnock: I think it would be a caricature of…

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The Conservative party has overseen the total breakdown of the asylum system

08 Nov 2022

The Home Secretary has stated that after 12 years of Conservative government the asylum system is broken. Well, we agree, and it’s the Conservative party that’s broken it. The Conservative party has overseen the total breakdown of the asylum system for 12 years.   Stephen Kinnock: I welcome the Minister…

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Afghan Citizens And UK Asylum Policy

05 Sep 2022

Straight after Summer recess I spoke in Home Office questions about the debt of honour and gratitude we owe loyal-to-Britain Afghans. Yet with 10,000 Afghans still stuck in bridging hotels, Operation Warm Welcome has become Operation Cold Shoulder. The Minister had nothing to say about broken promises to brave LGBT…

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Fix The Deportation System

18 May 2022

Today a Home Office Minister made an utterly pointless Commons statement that was basically a cross between a rant and a whinge. Rather than play the blame game & finger-point, ministers should bring forward a plan that can actually fix the deportation system that they’ve broken.   Stephen Kinnock: I thank…

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Homes for Ukraine: Visa Application Centres

28 Apr 2022

Stephen Kinnock: Ukraine is on the frontline of the fight for the values that we in Britain hold dear: democracy, liberty and self-determination. It has therefore been truly inspiring to see 200,000 British households willing to open their doors to Ukrainians—largely women and children—who are fleeing Putin’s barbaric war. Somehow,…

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Nationality and Borders Bill

26 Apr 2022

The Government passed the Nationality and Borders Bill into law, which will make it harder to tackle people smuggling, and do nothing to either prevent dangerous crossings by small boats in the English Channel or reduce the growing asylum waiting lists which are costing taxpayers £4m per day in hotel…

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Ukraine Update

25 Apr 2022

Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) (Lab) The Secretary of State will have seen the recent Defence Committee report that was very critical of the Government’s decision to deploy the Royal Navy in basically taking over Border Force and dealing with the small boats issue. It defined that policy as “ill-defined” and “prematurely…

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Illegal Immigration

25 Apr 2022

Stephen Kinnock:  The deeply misjudged Nationality and Borders Bill and the Rwanda offloading plan will not only make cracking down on criminal people traffickers much more difficult, but make the cost to the British taxpayer criminally expensive. The British people deserve to know how their taxes are being spent, not…

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