UK's 'small boats' policy is criticised by deputies
DEPUTIES were warned yesterday that the island could become a hotspot for illegal immigration if they failed to sign up to nationality laws approved by the UK parliament.
The States voted to back the proposals from Home Affairs, but only after several deputies raised concerns about aligning the island with the UK’s controversial position on immigration, including its treatment of ‘small boats’.
Deputy John Dyke feared that failing to align with UK law could leave Guernsey’s shores vulnerable to refugees leaving France.
‘You’d risk the diversion of illegal immigration from Dover to Belle Greve Bay,’ he said.
Deputy Heidi Soulsby called the UK’s approach to immigration an ‘abomination’ and criticised Home Affairs for not adequately briefing States members ahead of the debate on the consequences of its proposals being rejected.
Home Affairs president Rob Prow and Policy & Resources president Peter Ferbrache told the States that the proposals should be uncontroversial and dealt with nationality, which was a matter for the UK, and not immigration.
‘Neither committee has any recommendations concerning the appropriateness or morality of the provisions of the [“small boats”] Illegal Migration Act,’ said Deputy Prow.
Deputy Tina Bury questioned the claim that the policy letter was uncontroversial.
She was concerned that permanently barring the children of illegal immigrants from obtaining a British passport would stymie reasonable applications.
Deputies Dyke and John Gollop were worried that rejecting the proposals could leave Guernsey stranded outside the Common Travel Area.
Deputy Peter Roffey asked if rejecting them would have any effect at all if laws on nationality were extended to Guernsey anyway, which prompted a 15-minute recess.
Legal advice indicated that deviating from international conventions on refugee status would be for the UK to resolve. But Deputy Gavin St Pier was still concerned that Guernsey could be left in a vulnerable position.
Replying to debate, Deputy Prow assured members there was ‘no sleight of hand’ and said the proposals before them represented a ‘tidying up exercise’.
In response to the calls for a briefing, he said he had received no emails from members and all the relevant information was in the policy letter.
Six of the seven propositions were approved with 38 members in favour and none against.
A proposition asking members to signify their agreement to ‘the substance of the nationality sections only of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, insofar as they have effect in Guernsey,’ was approved by 28 members.
Deputies Soulsby, St Pier, Bury and Adrian Gabriel voted against and six abstained – Deputies Gollop, Roffey, Yvonne Burford, Andy Cameron, Lindsay de Sausmarez and Sasha Kazantseva-Miller.
