Thread by @ZoeJardiniere

Tom Purseglove (Immigration Minister) appearing at the HASC this morning.

Cooper starts with a factual question: The number of asylum claims this year and last year.

Purseglove: In the year ending July 2021 - a 4% reduction in the number of asylum claims in the UK.

Purseglove: Channel crossings are being deployed from a longer stretch of coastline and taking greater risks

This is in line with the evidence: When governments clamp down on irregular journeys without providing an alternative route, crossings are displaced, they don't stop.

Cooper draws his attention to the Home Office Action plan from 2019 that pledged to halve the number of small boats crossings by the Summer.

The government's approach is not working. It is making the situation worse.

Tim Loughton points out that when migrants are found by the police & prevented from making the crossing from France they are then simply left homeless, in destitution and desperation in the area. So inevitably they will try to make a crossing again.

Cooper & Abbott having none of Purseglove's evasion and refusal to give hard figure for how much public money has so far been paid to France to facilitate cooperation.

"This is just not transparent. The French know how much has been paid, the Committee expects the same facts."

Holloway proudly showing off his ignorance "Why don't you just return everybody to France? You could do it tomorrow!"

This man is an MP for Christ sakes - why on Earth does he think the French should do that?

Cooper asks how many asylum seekers have been returned to other EU countries in 2021?

Purseglove says: 5.

Oh wait... EUROPEAN countries, not EU countries. So that probably means Albania. No returns to EU countries.

Cooper points out: One year ago Purseglove's predecessor claimed that once we were out of the EU it would be easy to secure better returns agreements with EU countries and that will solve the problem.

To put it mildly that has not happened.

Sambrook listing the many joint agreements between France and the UK that have been made over the past 10 years that have included huge sums of money, each one promised to end irregular crossings.

What's different about this agreement? (Spoiler: nothing. Same old failed story.)

Abbott: What are the nationalities of people crossing in small boats?

Purseglove: Iran 29%, Iraq 18%, Syria 9%, Eritrea 8%, Sudan 7% - These proportions of nationalities have been relatively stable.

Purseglove now making the extraordinary claim that "there is not necessarily a link between nationality and being granted asylum"

That's great. So Syrians and Eritreans can't clearly be said to be fleeing persecution? Of course not.

The Channel Threat Commander guy just said that it's natural that all the people crossing on small boats are refugees because all them come to the attention of the authorities and enter the asylum system, so it wouldn't make sense for people who aren't refugees to come that way.

It's like he's almost worked it out!

Channel Threat Commander denies that nets or wave machines were ever considered to push back boats in the Channel.

The Minister also rules it out, as well as the prospect of holding people on oil platforms.

Astonishing this has to happen. Truly.

Stuart McDonald points out that while 4,500 people have been served inadmissibility notices, but only 5 returns have taken place, so the rest of those thousands had their claims delayed for no reason.

How much has that cost?

Purseglove: No reply on the cost. The policies are in place "in readiness" for a better future where there will be stronger cooperation on returns.

I promise you he said that.

McDonald: It would be pretty handy to have the economic impact assessment of these measures before parliament is expected to vote on them. Will it be published before Report Stage?

Purseglove: It will be published in due course.

McDonald now going hard on the fact that the Bill criminalises migrants who are not associated in any way with criminal gangs. Indeed it criminalises their victims, uses example of an Iranian woman held at knife point and forced onto a small boat.

Purseglove says that the Crown Prosecution Service will make the call as to whether such prosecutions are in the public interest.

McDonald says that cannot be a justification for putting the criminalisation of innocent victims in the Bill. He's right.

Cooper points out: Asylum decisions are down 24% this year and even before the pandemic they were down by 28% the year before. There is a huge problem of a growing backlog.

Diana Johnson says that EU countries have said they wont sign a bilateral returns agreement with the UK.

Purseglove says he doesn't accept that.

Have to go get ready for my own evidence now so I'm ending the live-rant. You get the idea: Purseglove is getting a mauling from a Committee that, regardless where they sit on the politics of the question, think his department is doing a terrible job.

If you want to hear some more detail on the asylum decision making problems in the Home Office, feel free to listen along at 3pm

https://twitter.com/ZoeJardiniere/status/1460869495455723521