Yvette Cooper briefly sets out Labour's approach to immigration and asylum in party conference speech
Yvette Cooper today delivered the first party conference speech by a Labour Home Secretary in 15 years.
Speaking at the conference in Liverpool, Cooper briefly laid out Labour's vision for a "serious" approach to immigration and asylum, contrasting it sharply with what she called the "chaos" and "gimmicks" of the former Conservative government.
The Home Secretary emphasised the need for a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to bring down net migration and reform the asylum system, accusing the Conservatives of failing on both fronts.
To tackle small boat crossings in the Channel, Cooper said Labour was focused on boosting border security and working closely with other countries rather than "standing on the shoreline shouting at the sea".
The full section on immigration and asylum from the Home Secretary's speech is below:
"Nor will we let disorder and violence silence a serious debate on immigration—something that's been missing for too long amid the chaos, the gimmicks, and the damaging, ramped-up rhetoric.
"A serious government sees that net migration has trebled because overseas recruitment has soared while training has been cut right back, and says net migration must come down as we properly train young people here in the UK.
"A serious government sees an asylum system in chaos and says we have to clear the backlog and end asylum hotels.
"And a serious government looks at the criminal gangs who are profiting from undermining our border security, while women and children are crushed to death in crowded, flimsy small boats, and says the gangs have got away with it for too long. We will not stand for this vile trade in human lives.
"A serious government knows that immigration is important, and that is why it needs to be properly managed and controlled so the system is fair, so rules are properly respected and enforced, but we never again see a shameful repeat of the Windrush scandal that let British citizens down.
"So, in three months, we set up the Border Security Command, launched new investment in covert operations, high-tech investigations to go after the gangs with proper enforcement and returns.
"And instead of spending £700 million employing a thousand people to send four volunteers to Rwanda, we are boosting our border security instead. Because the best way to do that is to work with countries on the other side of our borders, not to just stand on the shoreline shouting at the sea."