Here in Kent, we are acutely aware that there has been a breakdown in public trust and confidence in our migration and asylum system.
Our reliance on expensive asylum hotels and the humanitarian emergency of small boat crossings on our shores both must end.
Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe. Picture: Nick Brittin
The net migration figures of around 900,000 per year that we saw under the Conservatives are too high, and should not be repeated.
I wholeheartedly support the Prime Minister’s objective to fix the asylum system to ensure greater order, control, and fairness.
I also agree with the Home Secretary’s aim to create new, safe, and legal routes for people wanting to move to the UK.
To truly earn back the trust lost under the Conservatives, our changes must be fair and support our nation’s economic growth.
This is why I am fundamentally concerned by the Home Office’s recent proposals, which would extend the time it takes to earn citizenship in our country to up to 20 years.
Asylum seekers still attempt to enter the UK via dangerous crossings over the Channel
I believe these plans will divide communities and undermine people’s ability to integrate, restricting our ability to recruit and retain the skilled workers our economy desperately needs.
This is out of step with many other European countries like Denmark, where the longest route to settlement is 13 years.
This change will severely damage key sectors like construction, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy, which already face tens of thousands of vacancies.
Creating different settlement timelines for key workers will damage social cohesion, workplace solidarity and individuals’ morale.
I am also deeply troubled by the proposal to review refugee status every 30 months, to see if their country is safe enough to send them back. This leaves refugees in a constant state of uncertainty; chronically unsure whether they are about to be deported.
This will also saddle the Home Office with up to 1.9 million repeat assessments over the next decade, estimated to cost the taxpayer over £1 billion.
Tony Vaughan says he is deeply troubled by the proposal to review refugee status every 30 months
These extra administrative costs are unjustifiable whilst we have so many areas crying out for investment.
I am aware that constructive criticism requires offering viable alternatives, so here is my vision for UK migration: rooted in what is good for our economy, skills retention, and practical, sensible, workable border controls.
We must retain the standard five-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain, providing stability for the key workers our economy relies upon.
We must secure a scaled-up asylum returns agreement with France, and aggressively pursue replica agreements with other like-minded European nations like Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
We must establish upstream processing centres in regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, or Eastern Europe, so people can apply for asylum there, which means there would be no incentive for making a small boat crossing.
We can achieve a migration system that ends small boat crossings, supports our vital industries, and upholds our compassionate values. But change must respect human dignity and reflect not just the clever mind of our country, but its heart and soul too.
Justice cannot just mean justice for those born here; it must extend to those fleeing war or persecution, as well as those moving for economic reasons to work in our country.
We are a pragmatic, tolerant people, and granting asylum to those genuinely fleeing persecution is the mark of a decent, humane, mature and responsible country – indeed it was the policy of Churchill and Atlee in 40s and 50s.