Question
A Home Secretary clearing up the mess of her immediate predecessor—who would have thought it? When I brought through changes to the visa regime, the chorus of disapproval from the then Opposition, who now sit on the Government Benches, was deafening. She has already conceded that her proposals are not as robust as the announcement she made this time last year, so what confidence can the House or the country have that she will not further water down the proposals she has announced today as they go through the legislative process?
Answer
Let me say to one of my many predecessors as Home Secretary that the proposals I have announced today are far, far more robust than everything he and his Government left behind. It is their mess that this Government have been cleaning up. The right hon. Gentleman will know that both myself and my immediate predecessor as Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley (Yvette Cooper), are responsible for a number of changes, including: closing the care worker route to overseas workers; the requirement for sponsors to be Care Quality Commission rated; suspending family reunion for refugees while we settle family migration policy as we go into next year; and raising salary thresholds. This Government —both myself and my predecessor—have been taking the action that is needed and that is why net migration is down 82%.20% point-scoring
Verdict: RED (10/100)
The question asked for an assurance that the announced visa proposals would not be weakened as they pass through Parliament. The reply did not address this. It said the proposals are more robust than the previous government's record, blamed the predecessor, and cited an 82% fall in net migration, but it said nothing about the legislative process or about resisting amendments. The person asking would most likely need to raise the question again to get an answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What assurance can the Home Secretary give that the visa proposals she has announced today will not be further weakened as they pass through the legislative process? | Not Addressed | Generic | The question asks for an assurance that the announced visa proposals will not be weakened during passage through Parliament, but the reply only asserts that the proposals are 'far more robust' than the previous government's record, blames the predecessor, and cites net migration falling 82%. None of these statements mentions the legislative process or commits to resisting amendments that would weaken the proposals. |