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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 26 June 2025

26 Jun 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

Whitfield, Martin Lab South Scotland Watch on SPTV

If the member will be patient—[Interruption.] I am conscious of time; I apologise, Presiding Officer.

I am not going to make sweeping assumptions about groups of people who are taking their life in their hands. With regard to the gender of the people who are coming over—although I do not necessarily accept the diagnostic that the member claims—I suggest that those people might feel an obligation to flee their country because of their own sexuality, or whatever, and are seeking safety.

Returning to the LCM, I repeat my welcome of the minister’s approach to this issue. It is a complex one. There are areas that are reserved, and there are areas that this Parliament and the Scottish Government rightly have an involvement in. I congratulate the Scottish Government on the way that it has handled the matter and on its interaction with the UK Government.

For the sake of time, I will leave it there—although, interestingly, I understand that we might have a fascinating members’ business debate brought by Mr Kerr after our return from recess.

15:22

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur) LD

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-18076, in the name of Kaukab Stewart, on the legislative consent motion for the Border Security, Asylum a...

The Minister for Equalities (Kaukab Stewart) SNP

I open this debate on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill at a time of growing global instability. That instability can result in people having ...

Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

Before us today is a legislative consent motion for a bill that epitomises a weak response from a weak Government. Is there a policy area that Keir Starmer h...

Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) SNP

I wonder whether Stephen Kerr could say what the legal routes to seek refuge in the UK are.

Stephen Kerr Con

These are people who are leaving the safety of France and putting their lives in the hands of ruthless human traffickers. That is what we have to stop. Peopl...

Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab

It is always a pleasure to follow Stephen Kerr, even when his oration—we might call it a salad of linguistic excitement—on the bill that is ploughing its way...

Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

Will Martin Whitfield take an intervention?

Martin Whitfield Lab

Paul Sweeney Lab

I thank my friend for giving way. He makes a salient point about the misbelief that, if someone is to claim asylum, they are obligated to claim it in the fir...

Martin Whitfield Lab

I will pick up on one of the phrases that the member used in that intervention—the “human story”. We are talking about human beings and their travel and the ...

Stephen Kerr Con

I hope that Martin Whitfield, who is a realist, will recognise that the vast majority of the people on the dinghies are young men. They are, in a sense, almo...

Martin Whitfield Lab

I am not going to make categorical assumptions about what groups of people choose this route—

Stephen Kerr Con

Martin Whitfield Lab

If the member will be patient—Interruption. I am conscious of time; I apologise, Presiding Officer. I am not going to make sweeping assumptions about group...

Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green) Green

The Scottish Greens will support the LCM at decision time. However, I want to get the following comments, which relate to clause 38 of the Border Security, ...

Paul Sweeney Lab

That is a really important point, as is shown by a case in my constituency in 2018. Duc Nguyen was trafficked from Vietnam and forced to work in conditions o...

Maggie Chapman Green

Absolutely. I thank Paul Sweeney for raising that. Let us remember that many trafficked victims are forced into criminal activity and, by virtue of being tra...

Kaukab Stewart SNP

I thank colleagues for their thoughtful and considered contributions to the debate, although the speeches have been varied and possibly a little polarised, w...