In Hartlepool, we're investing in our local workforce through initiatives like the Health and Social Care Academy at Hartlepool Hospital and the Engineering Academy in partnership with Seymour Civil Engineering. These collaborations with the NHS, local businesses, our Further Education College, and the Council ensure that residents gain the skills needed for available jobs, reducing reliance on overseas labour.
On asylum, Hartlepool has always been a welcoming community - generous, decent, and caring. However, we also believe in fairness. Upon becoming MP, I demanded the figures on the distribution of asylum accommodation across our region. Hartlepool had more than our neighbours. This is not fair.
So, I held talks with Home Office officials and reported back in March that the procurement of new asylum accommodation in Hartlepool had been halted, and a target set to reduce numbers by approximately two-thirds. The latest Home Office figures show it is starting to have an impact, with a 5% drop in numbers, bringing the total down to 442 individuals. This progress results not from slogans but from diligent work entrusted to me by the people of Hartlepool.
However, challenges persist. The small boats crisis on the south coast remains unacceptable and its cause underreported. There were no small boat arrivals before 2018, when the UK was part of an EU returns agreement. There was no point crossing, as you could be immediately returned. The Conservative’s disastrous Brexit deal, championed by Nigel Farage, had no such agreement and the numbers exploded. The Tories and Reform caused this crisis and now they are trying to fool the British public and profit politically from it.
To tackle these issues, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill is essential. It empowers law enforcement to dismantle criminal gangs facilitating illegal crossings, drawing on counter-terrorism strategies. The Conservatives and Reform voted against all of this.
Further measures are necessary. We must tighten the application of Human Rights laws to prevent misuse, ensuring that decisions on deportations rest with Parliament, not the courts because let me be clear – all foreign criminals should be deported. Additionally, establishing agreements with international partners is crucial for the swift and safe return of those arriving illegally.
These objectives won't be achieved through gimmicks or slogans but through detailed policy, focused diplomacy, and the hard work this Labour government is committed to delivering.