By Suella Braverman.
So-called progressives on the Left have utter contempt for public opinion and instead want to open our borders to any and everyone, says Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
I spent several years as a barrister defending the Home Office, often against spurious claims from migrants.
The rule of law depends upon lawyers representing their clients robustly and to the best of their ability.
Lawyers are entitled – indeed obliged – to find any credible legal angle that gets the best result for their client. But they are not allowed to lie. Nor are they allowed to encourage others to lie.
Lawyers are entitled – indeed obliged – to find any credible legal angle that gets the best result for their client. But they are not allowed to lie. Nor are they allowed to encourage others to lie.
That’s why [the] hugely important investigation by the Mail is extremely shocking. The alleged behaviour [the Mail’s] reporters have uncovered is not only appalling and irresponsible, but potentially criminal. It shows why it has been so hard for the Government to remove people with no right to be here – and why we were right to change the law to curb spurious challenges to removal.
We know that the majority of lawyers are professional practitioners, but we also know there are some lawyers who are ideologically opposed to illegal-migration controls. They have said so, proudly.
They’ve gone to town in using domestic law, international law and other conventions to prevent the removal of small-boat entrants and even foreigners convicted of heinous crimes including murder and rape. And they’ve been cheered on by the Government’s political opponents.
Indeed, Sir Keir Starmer has even argued that there is a ‘racist undercurrent’ which ‘permeates all immigration law’. To howls of protest, we have changed the law – through the Nationality and Borders Act and the new Illegal Migration Act – to close loopholes, stop people exploiting modern slavery laws, make it easier to remove foreign criminals and deprive those who come here illegally of any right to stay. And the Labour Party has tried to block us at every turn.
The British people want us to stop the boats and remove foreign criminals. They’re right and should feel no shame. Time and again the public have proven how generous they are to Syrians, Afghans, Hong Kongers, Ukrainians and others who need refuge.
However, our local communities are being overwhelmed by migrants who paid people-smuggling gangsters to bring them here from safe countries such as France. Some 45,000 people arrived by small boats in the last year. The majority were adult males under the age of 40 and we are now spending more than £6million a day on hotels alone to house migrants in this country. Illegal migration makes us less safe, is unfair on taxpayers, supports organised crime, has led to thousands of people perishing needlessly at sea and disadvantaged the genuinely vulnerable who play by the rules. Nobody sane wants foreign rapists, paedophiles or murderers on our streets.
Illegal migration makes us less safe, is unfair on taxpayers, supports organised crime, has led to thousands of people perishing needlessly at sea and disadvantaged the genuinely vulnerable who play by the rules.
Yet so-called progressives on the Left have utter contempt for public opinion and instead want to open our borders to any and everyone. I am shocked by what the Mail’s brilliant journalists have uncovered, but I can’t say I’m wholly surprised. I fear it may well be the tip of the iceberg. A good, honourable lawyer makes the most of the law. A dodgy lawyer will cheat and lie.
That’s why I am doing everything I can to work with our authorities to track down and punish any lawyers or firms found to be engaging in these kinds of practices. Either way, the law had to change. It contained too many loopholes for people to block or frustrate their removal. Now we have evidence that some lawyers would stop at nothing, including lying.
I’ve been called a lot of ridiculous names for my tough stance. Well, every opponent of immigration controls should be eating their words today.
I am very grateful to the Mail for showing why the Government, and the vast majority of the public, are on the right side when pushing for tougher action to stop the boats.
The Rt Hon Suella Braverman is the Conservative MP for Fareham, and has been an MP continuously since 7 May 2015. She currently holds the Government post of Home Secretary. Follow Suella on Twitter here.
This article first appeared in the Daily Mail on 25th July 2023. With thanks to Suella’s team for allowing us to republish on the Conservative Post.
Photo: Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
You are not stopping the influx of migrants you are deluding yourselves . 1 days landing will fill that prison ship