Immigration, Border Security and Fairness

Last Updated – 2025

Immigration policy must be firm, fair, and humane. The system must maintain strong borders, ensure that rules are respected, remove those without the right to remain, and provide sanctuary for people genuinely fleeing conflict and persecution.

For too long, the system has been marked by backlogs, delays, and high costs. Criminal gangs have exploited weaknesses and profited from dangerous crossings – building a £200m-per-year industry – while confidence in the system has eroded. Tackling these problems requires sustained effort, stronger enforcement, and clear rules that are applied consistently.

I welcome the government’s commitment to a programme of reform – a Border Security Command is being established to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible for people smuggling and trafficking, a Returns and Enforcement Unit is being created to ensure that removals are carried out swiftly and fairly, and new returns agreements are being negotiated to replace the Dublin Agreement (the previous government’s withdrawal from which led to a surge in asylum accommodation). The aim is to reduce the asylum backlog, end reliance on expensive hotels, and restore public confidence in the system. I have consistently voted in favour of the laws necessary to establish these bodies and introduce tougher controls.

At the same time, I do not think change is happening quickly enough. I warned in March 2025 in Parliament that continuing the asylum chaos which had “overspent by billions” would be a “mark of shame” for the Government if not resolved. I urged the Minister to “speed up processing, increase returns and end the use of hotels for good” (Hansard, 25 March 2025). I feel that the new Home Secretary, appointed in September, does understand the scale of the challenge and the urgency it demands. She has reportedly dispatched officials to Denmark to study the border control and asylum policies introduced effectively by Labour’s sister party, the Social Democrats. I believe the Danish system has demonstrated results, and is worth exploring. However, as I warned her in November, “we will believe it when we see it” (Hansard, 17 November 2025).

It is important to note that quicker returns and enforcement are only a part of the solution. It is also critical to address the “pull factors” which attract people to make the dangerous crossing over the Channel. There has been some progress on this: ramping up illegal working raids, expanding right to work checks, and signing data-sharing agreements with food delivery giants to improve checks on riders. But there is much more to do. Those found to be illegally working, whether in as delivery drivers, in car washes or in barbershops must be arrested, detained and removed. The unscrupulous employers who are responsible must be fined and banned from running companies. The number of young people dropping out of education, employment and training in our region is stark; in general, I believe we ought to aim to train more people domestically and reduce reliance on short-term overseas recruitment. Doing so will also reduce the strength of the black market.

Alongside stronger enforcement, the UK must continue to honour its proud tradition of offering refuge to those in genuine need. I believe that Teessiders believe in fairness and decency. A fair system requires both firmness against abuse and compassion for the vulnerable. Many Teessiders have opened their homes in recent years to shelter those genuinely fleeing from war, for example through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. But they also expect a system that actually works. Until every smuggler is behind bars, every illegal arrival is processed fast, and every town is freed from the costly pressure of asylum hotels, people in Teesside won’t believe the system is working fairly.

Immigration will always be a complex and sensitive issue, but with a fair and balanced approach it is possible to build a system that is controlled, humane, and in the national interest.