Today I spoke in the Nationality and Borders Bill debate.
I was delighted to support measures that will disrupt the disgusting practice of people smuggling, prioritise helping vulnerable people in genuine need, make it harder for people to abuse the system.
Among other things, this Bill will:
support immediate and indefinite leave to remain for refugees who are resettled through safe and legal routes
deliver tougher sentences for people smugglers
deliver tougher sentences for foreign national offenders who try to come back to our country when they have no right to do so
end repeated last-minute and vexatious legal challenges to foreign national offender deportation and expand the early removal scheme to remove foreign offenders from the UK as early as possible
increase the sentence for breaching the deportation order from 6 months to 5 years.
These combined measures will dissuade using illegal and dangerous routes and incentivise coming to the UK legally without the need for people smugglers.