Westminster Hall debate

I was pleased to be able to give the closing speech in a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday about delays in the asylum system.  What is clear is that the asylum system is broken.  The number of people waiting more than 12 months for an initial asylum decision was over 33,000 last year, which is ten times the number in 2010, according to recent research by the Refugee Council. The Government are threatening to make the system even worse with their Nationality and Borders Bill which offers no solutions but a lot of hostile rhetoric about people seeking sanctuary here.  As we approach the 70^th anniversary of the Refugee Convention I will do all I can to fight for a fair, effective and humane asylum system.