Winchester and Chandler's Ford MP, Steve Brine, has pressed the Government on the Rwanda Partnership Agreement during a recent debate about the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is marking its final stages in the Houses of Parliament.
During the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration's opening remarks, a number of members, including Steve Brine, intervened to raise their concerns and views on many areas of the Bill.
Mr Brine asked the Minister; "Will the Minister assure me that the legislation that enables the partnership predates this Bill and this Government? Will he also reassure me and my constituents in respect of the screening programme and specifically how LGBTQ people will interact with it? There are many concerns about that and our friends in Rwanda."
The MP added that he was raising these issues as "a lot of my constituents are very concerned about the Rwanda partnership deal, as am I...".
The Minister, Tom Pursglove, responded; "My hon. Friend always raises pertinent issues on behalf of his constituents in Winchester. As the Home Secretary set out yesterday, the legal basis for the policy is the new Labour—I know it is not fashionable to talk about new Labour on the Opposition Benches—policies of 1999, 2002 and 2004, when the Labour party had a genuine and thorough position on these matters that I am afraid is not in place today, when we hear a lot of criticism but no meaningful alternative is brought forward to." address the issues.".
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