Theresa May slams Illegal Migration Bill for allowing ‘more slave drivers to make money out of human misery’
Theresa May has attacked the government’s Illegal Migration Bill, saying it would “enable more slave drivers to… make money out of human misery” and “consign more people to slavery”.
The former prime minister, who has long campaigned on tackling modern slavery in the UK, said ministers wanted to use the new legislation to “stop the boats” crossing the English Channel.
But in a passionate speech in the Commons, she warned the bill needed to change or would lead to victims getting no support – and perpetrators getting away with their crimes.
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MPs debated proposed amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill made by peers throughout Tuesday afternoon after 20 defeats were inflicted on the legislation in the House of Lords.
The bill itself aims for the “swift detention and removal” of people arriving in the UK illegally, sending them back to their country of origin or a third country – like Rwanda.
But peers had a number of issues with the legislation – especially around the treatment of women, children, people from the LGBT+ community, and victims of modern slavery – and sent back a number of changes for the Commons to look at.
The government announced its own fresh amendments on Monday in an attempt to stop MPs supporting the Lords, including a promise that new rules on removing people would not be applied retrospectively – only after the bill becomes law.
They also reduced the time children could be detained for – eight days instead of the proposed 28 – and pledged to keep the current rule on detaining pregnant women for a maximum of 72 hours.
But the concessions had not gone far enough for some, leading to terse exchanges in the Commons from the government’s own benches.
A number of high profile Tory backbenchers rebelled against the government over their support for some of the amendments, including Mrs May, former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, ex-minister Sir Robert Buckland and health select committee chair Steve Brine.
But despite their efforts – and after almost four hours of voting in the Commons – none of the peers’ amendments gained the backing of a majority in the House, and the legislation will now return to the Lords for further scrutiny.
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What is new small boats bill?
Speaking in the debate earlier on Tuesday, Mrs May welcomed some of the changes brought forward by the Home Office, “whatever the motivation”, but added: “I want support to continue for the victims of modern slavery in the UK after commencement of the bill.”
She pointed to amendment 56 from the Lords, which sought to ensure victims would not be detained and removed from the UK if they had been modern slaves, and urged the government to support it.
“This bill has been marketed as a ‘stop the boats’ bill,” she said. “We all want to stop the boats, nobody wants to see people risking their lives in small boats across the Channel.
“But this bill is not just written to stop the boats. It covers all illegal migration. And its unwritten subtext is the ‘stop certain victims’ claims of modern slavery’ bill, not stop false claims of modern slavery, but stop all claims full stop, and that is where I depart from the government.”
The former PM gave the hypothetical situation of a woman “persuaded” by a man to come to the country “for a great job and wonderful life together”, ending up trafficked into prostitution and not even knowing the papers he used to get her in were illegal.
“Under this bill, she would get no support,” said Mrs May. “The government’s response would be, ‘we don’t care that you’ve been in slavery in the UK, we don’t care that you have been in a living hell, we don’t care that you have been the victim of crime.
“‘We do care that you came here illegally, even though you probably didn’t know it, so we are going to detain you and send you home, even if it is into the arms of the very people who trafficked you here in the first place, or we want to send you to Rwanda’.”
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Boat crossings ‘at odds with British values’
Mrs May also warned the bill “ties the hands of the police and it undoes the good work of the Modern Slavery Act”, as it would stop victims providing evidence to catch the perpetrators.
“It will enable more slave drivers to operate and make money out of human misery,” said the influential MP. “It will consign more people to slavery. No doubt about it, I think if [the Lord’s amendment] is overthrown, that will be the impact.”
But the amendment was rejected by MPs by 285 votes to 243.
England have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Euros after knocking out Sweden.
The Lionesses won 3-2 on penalties at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, after clawing their way back to take the game into extra-time.
The defending champions had been 2-0 down at half-time after goals from Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani and Stina Blackstenius in the quarter-final clash.
England then levelled matters towards the end of normal time. Lucy Bronze delivered the first England goal on 79 minutes, assisted by substitute Chloe Kelly. Two minutes later, Michelle Agyemang followed suit, taking the score to 2-2.
England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton (R) celebrates with teammates after the side beat Sweden. Pic: AP
Bronze’s penalty kept England’s hopes alive. Pic: Reuters
After a goalless extra-time, it was time for penalties.
Alessia Russo kicked things off, finding the back of the net for England, before Lauren James, Alex Greenwood, Beth Mead and Grace Clinton had their attempts saved by Sweden’s Jennifer Falk.
The game was sent into sudden death after Falk went face-to-face with England’s Hannah Hampton but sent the ball flying over the crossbar.
Pic: Reuters
A devastated Sweden. Pic: Reuters
It all came down to Sweden’s seventh penalty after Bronze sensationally scored, with 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg missing the chance to send her team through.
England will next face Italy in the semi-finals in Geneva on Tuesday.
‘That was crazy’
England boss Sarina Wiegman described the action as “one of the hardest games I’ve ever watched”.
Sarina Wiegman after the match. Pic: Reuters
“We could have been out of the game three or four times, when you’re 2-0 at half-time it’s not good,” she said after the match.
“Although we started really bad, at the end it got better, but we didn’t create anything so we had to change shape, and we score two goals – that was crazy.
“We miss a lot [of penalties], and they miss even more. I need to decompress, I think.”
Hannah Hampton still delivered with one nostril down. Pic: Reuters
Goalkeeper Hampton added that it was “stressful watching” and “stressful playing”.
The 24-year-old, who was left with a bloodied nose in extra-time, said: “Every time I saved one, I was just thinking ‘please put it in, so we have a bit of a cushion!’
“To be honest, I think I was better in the game when I had one nostril than when I was completely fine!”
She said it was the support of the England fans that helped the team push on. She said: “They were definitely behind me and I appreciate all the support.”
Michelle Agyemang reacts after levelling the game for the Lionesses. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Pressure was on the Lionesses after they won the tournament in 2022.
Their journey in the group stages started with a 2-1 defeat to France, but hopes were lifted after England sailed past the Netherlands and Wales to reach the knockout stages, finishing second in Group D.
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Sweden on the other hand went into Thursday’s game unbeaten in the tournament so far, having already defeated Germany, Poland and Denmark in the group stages.
By the time Hannah Hampton appeared in the news conference, the England goalkeeper was relieved, ecstatic and wanting to share this night far and wide.
So when her phone started ringing with a FaceTime call, she broke off speaking to the media about reaching the Euros semi-finals to answer it.
And then share the call with the room in Zurich.
After such a nerve-shredding night, this was the moment to relax and just savour it all.
Savour how close they came to throwing it all away against Sweden before staging a stirring comeback inspired by Lucy Bronze.
The 33-year-old scored the goal that began the fightback with 11 minutes to go and converted England’s final penalty in the shootout.
Lucy Bronze converted England’s final penalty. Pic: Reuters
“Lucy Bronze is one of a kind,” England manager Sarina Wiegman said. “It’s that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.”
The Lionesses looked down and out, 2-0 down after 25 minutes.
Completely outplayed. A defence run ragged. Just too sloppy.
“We said at half-time we don’t want to go home,” Hampton said. “So it’s up to us to turn the game around.”
Things were not looking good for England by half-time. Pic: Reuters
But the team managed to turn things around. Pic: Reuters
That only came after Wiegman deployed the substitutes the manager calls “finishers”.
They fulfilled their mission.
“Sweden in that moment had to adapt to some different things in the game,” Wiegman said, “before they could, it was 2-2.”
Within seconds of coming on, match-winner Chloe Kelly showed the missing spirit. The spirit that saw her score the Euro 2022 winner.
Pic: Reuters
A creator of two goals in 103 seconds.
A cross headed in with 11 minutes to go by Bronze – the only player still playing from the Euro 2013 group-stage elimination.
It was a lifeline seized on so quickly.
Another cross from Kelly was this time brought down by Beth Mead before Michelle Agyemang.
The timeliest of goals from the teen – a first tournament goal on her third appearance as a sub.
Teenager Michelle Agyemang reacts after scoring England’s second goal in normal time. Pic: Reuters
But there would be the anxiousness of extra time to follow, unable to find a breakthrough.
So to the shootout that lasted 14 penalties between them.
Hampton said: “It was stressful watching and playing, I thought every single time when I saved one, ‘Please score and give us a cushion’. I feel so happy and relieved.”
Around Alessia Russo and Kelly scoring there were four England misses before Bronze converted England’s seventh and Sweden missed a fifth.
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A frenzied 3-2 shootout win was complete.
“I can’t remember anything like this,” said Wiegman, who has only reached finals in her four tournaments with the Netherlands and England.
“I thought three times we were out,” she said.
But instead it’s off to Geneva for the European champions for a semi-final with Italy.
They’ll be hoping it’s less of a struggle, less dramatic – while just glad to have made it there.
Felix Baumgartner, the extreme athlete who once jumped from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding crash in Italy.
The 56-year-old Austrian lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant’Elpidio in the central Marche region.
He then fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear.
According to reports, he fell ill and lost control.
Pic: AP
During the fall, he is thought to have hit a hotel employee, who was taken to hospital with neck injuries, according to Sky Sports Austria.
She was reportedly injured by a piece of debris that had been dislodged during the vehicle’s impact.
The mayor of Porto Sant’Elpidio, Massimiliano Ciarpella, offered the town’s condolences for the death of “a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights”.
Mr Baumgartner is best known for smashing the world record for the highest skydive after leaping from the edge of space in October 2012.
He ascended to 128,097ft in a pressurised capsule suspended beneath a giant helium balloon.
He then jumped out, freefalling for four minutes and 19 seconds before opening his parachute.
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He made the historic jump over Roswell, New Mexico, reaching a peak speed of over 833mph (1,343kph).
Mr Baumgartner’s altitude record stood until 2014 when American computer scientist Alan Eustace did a jump from a height of 135,890ft.
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