Tim Farron will try and kill off the Government’s flawed Immigration Bill during the Second Reading debate on Tuesday.
From the Guardian:
The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has challenged Labour and the Scottish National party to back an amendment he will table to the government’s immigration bill that would stop it becoming law.
Farron will table a reasoned amendment – a device used to offer reasons for rejecting a bill – when the government’s proposals are debated in parliament on Tuesday.
Tim is quoted as saying:
It is simply ridiculous to have a bill that ignores the biggest humanitarian crisis of our generation – the growing numbers of refugees in southern Europe who need us to act now,” he said.
That is why I have tabled an amendment to block this inadequate bill. I am calling on Labour, the SNP and all Tories with a conscience to back our amendment and force Theresa May to listen to the British public when they say ‘Refugees Welcome’.
Even in the unlikely event of Labour and the SNP backing this amendment rather than their own, Lib Dem Chief Whip would still have to find twelve Tories and lock them in cupboards during the vote to make it succeed. The real threat to the Bill will come from the House of Lords. Once they get their hands on it, you would hope that some of its ghastly provisions, including making private landlords responsible for checking immigration status of tenants and massively restricting rights of appeal, would be watered down.
What Tim is doing is making the point early in the debate that this Bill is nowhere near close to addressing the true problems we face with a humanitarian crisis on our doorstep.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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5 Comments
“It is simply ridiculous to have a bill that ignores the biggest humanitarian crisis of our generation – the growing numbers of refugees in southern Europe who need us to act now”
It is simply ridiculous that Tim Farron ignores the biggest humanitarian crisis of our generation – the growing numbers of refugees in middle eastern countries bordering Syria, and within Syria itself. These numbers dwarf the numbers in southern Europe.
We have to do what we can, where we can, with what tools we can, with whoever will work with you.
This does not solve the problems elsewhere, but if everyone followed this, we would be on our way.
Stuart.
Is Tim ignoring ‘the biggest humanitarian crisis of our generation’ by this suggested amendment?
Surely there are reasons to open our doors to both those still in Syria and those who are fleeing e.g. Reuniting families who stayed behind with those who tried to find a better life for them.
Is it so ridiculous?
UNHCR and the Refugee Council were at a fringe meeting at Bournemouth conference. UNHCR said that 90% of the people in the camps want to go back to Syria when it is safe to do so. The priority therefore is to stop the war, but how?
@Joan Hand – But Tim in his grandstanding on this issue has been ignoring or omitting to mention those who either remain in refugee camps or are still within Syria, so Stuart is right to repremand Tim on this matter…
But that isn’t to say that your point about reuniting framilies isn’t valid, just that Tim isn’t talking about it.