On Monday last week I was pleased to put the first oral question of the new post-Easter term to the Home Secretary following the discovery of 52 migrants in two lorries across Kent. Many will be aware of the news of the two lorries stopped at Canterbury and the Dartford Crossing on suspicion of smuggling migrants, including children, and I believe it is high time Kent is given the necessary support to tackle these increased attempts effectively.
Kent has long been on the frontline of this kind of clandestine attempts to enter the UK, with most coming from North Africa and the Middle East. This is just one more example amongst many and Kent’s capacity to deal with the increase in these attempts is taking its toll. That is why I sought answer from the Home Secretary around what additional support can be provided to our region’s police and border guards to combat these covert and desperate attempts that both risk lives and unnecessarily drains resources.
While the Home Secretary openly recognised that Kent is on the frontline of migrant’s illegal attempts to make it into the UK, I felt there was still acknowledgement needed that highlights the fight we have in Kent and therefore the need for more resources. The Home Secretary outlined some of the steps already taken, such as the dedicated unit of specialist de-briefers to support the police in gathering further intelligence to deal with this vile gang-led trade, but importantly the need to stop people from arriving in the UK clandestinely.
Tackling the smugglers is, of course, very important, but Kent still needs the best possible support to deal with this increasing circumstance. I will therefore continue to make representations in the House of Commons alongside liaising with ministerial colleagues to work out how best this can be achieved.
The full transcript of Monday’s Home Office Oral Questions can be found here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-04-11/debates/1604111000003/…