UK Borders Bill — Give asylum seekers permission to work — rejected — 11 Oct 2007 at 15:48

The majority Not-Contents rejected an amendment[1] to the UK Borders Bill. The amendment would have allowed the government to introduce secondary legislation to let asylum seekers work. This would only apply to asylum seekers who were unable to return to their home country and whose application was outstanding for over 12 months. However, the amendment was defeated.

In moving the amendment Lord Avebury explained that:

  • 'we have always said that refusing long-term failed asylum seekers the right to work is economically illiterate and gratuitously damaging in human terms. It deprives society of the contribution that they can make with their skills and abilities and it is absolutely demoralising for the individuals concerned, whose only alternatives are to live on the charity of friends or relatives or to work illegally.'[2]

However, Lord Bassam of Brighton argued that:

  • 'Entering the country for economic reasons is not the same as seeking asylum. We do not allow asylum seekers to work as that could encourage asylum applications from those with no fear of persecution and slow down the processing of applications from genuine refugees.'[3]

The UK Borders Bill became law in 2007. Its main aims are to:[4]

  • Impose biometric identity documents on non-EU immigrants
  • Automatically deport foreign nationals if they are imprisoned for more than one year or commit specific offences
  • Give immigration officers powers to detain, search and seize assets of suspected illegal immigrants

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Debate in Parliament | Source |

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All Votes Cast - sorted by party

Lords for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party are marked in red. Also shows which lords were ministers at the time of this vote. You can also see every eligible lord including those who did not vote in this division.

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NamePartyVote
The Bishop of Ripon and LeedsBishopaye
The Bishop of WinchesterBishopaye
Lord Alton of LiverpoolCrossbenchaye
Lord Best Crossbench (front bench)aye
Baroness Boothroyd Crossbenchaye
Viscount Craigavon Crossbenchaye
Baroness Darcy de Knayth Crossbenchaye
The Earl of ErrollCrossbenchaye
Baroness Howe of IdlicoteCrossbench (front bench)aye
The Earl of ListowelCrossbenchtellaye
The Earl of SandwichCrossbenchaye
Lord Williamson of HortonCrossbench (front bench)aye
Lord Elystan-Morgan Crossbenchno
Viscount Montgomery of AlameinCrossbench (front bench)no
Lord Moser Crossbench (front bench)no
Lord Patel of BradfordCrossbenchno
Baroness Adams of CraigieleaLab (minister)no
Lord Adonis Lab (minister)no
Lord Ahmed Labno
Lord Anderson of SwanseaLabno
Baroness Andrews Lab (minister)no
Lord Archer of SandwellLabno
Baroness Ashton of UphollandLab (minister)no
Lord Bassam of BrightonLab (minister)no
Lord Berkeley Labno
Lord Bilston Labno
Lord Bragg Labno
Lord Campbell-Savours Labno
Lord Christopher Lab (minister)no
Lord Clinton-Davis Labno
Baroness Crawley Lab (minister)no
Lord Darzi of DenhamLab (minister)no
Lord Davies of OldhamLab (minister)tellno
Lord Donoughue Labno
Lord Drayson Lab (minister)no
Lord Dubs Lab (minister)no
Lord Elder Labno
Lord Evans of ParksideLabno
Lord Evans of Temple GuitingLab (minister)no
Baroness Farrington of RibbletonLab (minister)no
Lord Faulkner of WorcesterLab (minister)no
Baroness Gale Lab (minister)no
Baroness Gibson of Market RasenLab (minister)no
Baroness Golding Labno
Lord Gould of BrookwoodLab (minister)no
Baroness Gould of PotternewtonLab (minister)no
Lord Grocott Lab (minister)tellno
Lord Harris of HaringeyLabno
Lord Hart of ChiltonLabno
Lord Haworth Labno
Baroness Howells of St DavidsLabno
Lord Howie of TroonLab (minister)no
Baroness Jay of PaddingtonLabno
Baroness Jones of WhitchurchLabno
Lord Lea of CrondallLabno
Lord Macdonald of TradestonLab (minister)no
Baroness Massey of DarwenLab (minister)no
Lord McKenzie of LutonLab (minister)no
Lord Morgan Labno
Baroness Morgan of DrefelinLab (minister)no
Lord Pendry Labno
Baroness Prosser Lab (minister)no
Baroness Quin Lab (minister)no
Baroness Rendell of BaberghLab (minister)no
Lord Rooker Lab (minister)no
Lord Rosser Lab (minister)no
Baroness Royall of BlaisdonLab (minister)no
Lord Sawyer Labno
Baroness Scotland of AsthalLab (minister)no
Viscount Simon Lab (minister)no
Lord Snape Labno
Lord Soley Labno
Lord Strabolgi Labno
Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanLab (minister)no
Baroness Taylor of BoltonLabno
Lord Temple-Morris Labno
Lord Tomlinson Lab (minister)no
Lord Triesman Lab (minister)no
Lord Tunnicliffe Lab (minister)no
Lord Turnberg Labno
Baroness Uddin Labno
Baroness Wall of New BarnetLabno
Baroness Warwick of UndercliffeLabno
Lord Watson of InvergowrieLabno
Lord West of SpitheadLab (minister)no
Lord Williams of ElvelLab (minister)no
Lord Woolmer of LeedsLabno
Baroness Young of Old SconeLabno
Lord Addington LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Avebury LDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Barker LDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Bonham-Carter of YarnburyLDem (front bench)aye
Lord Chidgey LDemaye
Lord Cotter LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Dholakia LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Dykes LDem (front bench)aye
Viscount Falkland LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Goodhart LDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Hamwee LDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Harris of RichmondLDem (front bench)aye
Lord Kirkwood of KirkhopeLDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Maddock LDem (front bench)aye
Lord McNally LDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne DomerLDem (front bench)aye
Lord Roberts of LlandudnoLDem (front bench)tellaye
Lord Roper LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Sandberg LDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Scott of Needham MarketLDem (front bench)aye
Lord Smith of CliftonLDem (front bench)aye
Lord Teverson LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Thomas of GresfordLDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Thomas of WalliswoodLDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Thomas of WinchesterLDem (front bench)aye
Lord Tordoff LDem (front bench)aye
Lord Wallace of SaltaireLDem (front bench)aye
Baroness Williams of CrosbyLDemaye
Lord Dearing Otheraye
Lord Rogan UUPno

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