![]() ![]() Interestingly Suella Braverman, the home secretary, is sitting behind him but not giving the speech herself. PMQs comes to a close - and now immigration minister Robert Jenrick stands up to announce changes to the government's policy on handling migrants and asylum seekers. Local elections don't receive the same level of attention as a general election.īut they are nonetheless a political litmus test to gauge voter sentiment, and if the Lib Dems can make large gains in the blue wall, then Conservative MPs with small majorities, like deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, may begin looking over their shoulders. Having just demolished a blue wall made of hay in the same tractor, Sir Ed Davey descended in his wellington boots to address a cheering crowd of the party faithful.Īnd it's no wonder the Lib Dems are feeling confident - with the rising cost of living, an ongoing NHS crisis and dwindling trust in politics, May's local elections could be a turning point for the third-largest political party as voters blame the Conservatives for their woes.īut one key concern the Lib Dems would be unwise to ignore is voter apathy.įrustration and fatigue with political scandals could mean turnout falls and Sir Ed's party could end up missing out on some swing voters' support. Undeterred by the drizzle, Lib Dem supporters patiently awaited their party leader, who of course chose to arrive on Berkhamsted High Street in a tractor. She says 40% fewer asylum cases are being decided despite increasing the number of staff. People smuggler convictions have halved in the last four years while more gangs crossed the Channel, she says. The asylum system is broken and "there's no point blaming anyone else because they are in charge", says Ms Cooper "They keep making announcements but it just keeps getting worse." She says Channel crossings have gone up twenty-fold over the last four years, and the government has opened more hotels since they said they would end their use last year. Ms Cooper quips: "Today's statement is an admission of failure - maybe that is why the home secretary has asked the immigration minister to make it instead." Ministers should have been finding cheaper sites and properly managing costs years ago." "We need to end costly and inappropriate hotel use, but these plans don't do that," she says. Yvette Cooper says despite what Conservatives have briefed the papers, the Home Office has admitted the proposals are in addition to hotels, not replacements. Housing migrants and asylum seekers in former military sites will not stop government spending on hotels, says Labour's shadow home secretary. Mr Jenrick promised a "significant package of support" for Sir Edward's constituents, and said that the government has no plans to make use of the historic buildings on the base. He describes the policy as "without question in the national interest", but added: "We understand the impact and the concern that there will be within local communities, and all parts of government want to work closely with him, with his local authorities to mitigate the issues that will arise as a result of this site." In response, Mr Jenrick pays tribute to his "friend and constituency neighbour" for his advocacy for his constituents. Lincolnshire will fight and Lincolnshire will be proved right."Īlthough Mr Jenrick did not confirm the name of the Lincolnshire base where the government intends on holding migrants, it is thought to be RAF Scampton, which was previously home to The Red Arrows aerobatics display team and the Dambusters. "We are prepared to do it, but we do not want to lose £300m of regeneration. ![]() "Will he work with West Lindsey now, and Lincolnshire, to try and find an alternative site? Sir Edward says that he fears losing £300m of regeneration funding, and asked Mr Jenrick: "How will he protect the safety of 1,000 people living right next door to 1,500 migrants, and a primary school? He can't guarantee anything. He says: "I can inform him that the moment this is confirmed, the local authority, West Lindsey, will issue an immediate judicial review and injunction against this thoroughly bad decision which is not based on good governance, but the politics of trying to do something." Sir Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, declares in the Commons that the local council will immediately launch legal proceedings to fight the plan to house migrants in the county.
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