TIMOTHY SPEAKS ON LAW AND ORDER AT PARTY CONFERENCE

Tuesday 7th October 2003

Madam Chairman, Conference:

As the Conservative Spokesman for Home Affairs in the European Parliament, I regularly speak to members of the public, policemen and women, judges and Home Office officials from across the European Union and beyond.

The theme which emerges from all these conversations is this. The single most important contributor to our ‘quality of life’ is our security. Security from international terrorism; security in our homes; security in our streets.

The right to security is a fundamental right. Because without it, “life, liberty and property”—the three central freedoms—count for nothing.

It follows also that ensuring security is the most important duty of Government. Without security, children cannot safely go to school, doctors cannot treat the sick, and businesses cannot generate the wealth that underpins our economy.

In his two years as Shadow Home Secretary, Oliver has done what all good opposition politicians should do. He has looked afresh at Britain’s security and the security of our people and is developing new policies and new approaches for tackling law and disorder.

We need to revert to the sort of society we used to have—a neighbourly society.

Neighbourhood policing is a major component in creating a neighbourly society, as is the provision of the extra 40,000 policemen we need.

Another element of building such a society is the promotion of fairness.

A sense of fair play is a quality that characterises British people as much as our cricket and our fish and chips.

But, what we don’t like is unfair play. We don’t like people taking something and offering nothing.

For example, we think it’s fair that people genuinely fleeing persecution in their home countries should be able to claim asylum and, if accepted, enjoy the security we have in the United Kingdom.

But we think it’s unfair that economic migrants should abuse the privileges associated with our asylum system by falsely claiming to have been persecuted.

So, a fair asylum system—fair to asylum seekers and fair to our people—is also essential in creating a neighbourly society.

Fairness and security were the two principles that guided the work of the Asylum Commission that Oliver asked me to convene earlier this year.

Throughout history Britain has provided a home for needy migrants, including those fleeing persecution in their native lands. From the Huguenots to the Kosovans, Britain has provided a refuge for those in need.

Sadly, however, in recent years Britain's asylum system has been increasingly abused. Our traditional neighbourliness has been tested and good race relations which we achieved under our last Conservative Government have come under serious threat.

Last month, our Asylum Commission published a blueprint for building a fair system.

We had 20 recommendations including:

- The need for accurate statistics on the level of migration in and out of the UK;

- Accepting only state persecution as a legitimate reason for granting asylum;

- That we should end judicial review, legal aid or appeals to the European Court;

- The repatriation of our Overseas Aid budget from the European Union and using it to protect those seeking sanctuary in safe third countries;

- That our Party should continue to oppose the EU’s emerging common asylum policy.

Firm but fair was always the Conservative Party’s view on Asylum and Immigration. We should be proud to restate that view again.

Building a fair asylum system also involves other countries accepting their own responsibilities.

Britain is the most densely populated country in the western world. Even the UN accepts that we take proportionately more asylum seekers than other countries.

But we must be responsible. Fairness applies not only to asylum seekers but also to nation states.

So, building a neighbourly society requires a wider guarantee of security and fairness.

Security can and should be partly provided by good policing in neighbourhoods.

But fairness also requires a fair asylum system: fair for genuine asylum seekers and fair for local neighbourhoods.

Fairness and security: the principles of Conservatism and the principles of the next Conservative Government.