NEWLY elected Runcorn MP Mike Amesbury has raised concerns over the migration in Parliament.

Having been re-elected to the newly created constituency of Runcorn and Helsby earlier this month, the Labour MP made his first speech in the House of Commons this Parliament.

It came during a debate on border security and asylum, with his question directed to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Mr Amesbury said: “I welcome the Home Secretary—the Labour Home Secretary—to her place.

“We have inherited an almighty mess, with asylum accommodation costing £8million per day.

“It is absolute chaos and, according to The Sunday Times, there are even middlemen and middlewomen taking advantage and profiteering through the system.

“How is she going to get a grip of this chaos we have inherited from the previous Tory Government?”

In response, Ms Cooper commented: “My honourable friend raises an important question.

“As well as a failure to tackle the criminal gangs taking hold along the channel, there has also been too much of a focus on gimmicks and a failure to have practical planning in place.

“For example, there was a failure to ensure that there were proper long-term contracts on asylum accommodation, so that instead the chaos at Manston a couple of years ago led to last-minute hotel procurement, which was completely inappropriate accommodation and cost a fortune as well.

“We have to tackle that. That is why we have set out plans and we are determined to make sure that we can get that backlog down and end asylum hotel use.

“As a result of the chaos with the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the fact that the Home Office had stopped taking decisions, that will now take time and it will be difficult to sort out.

“But that is why the statutory instrument we are laying before the House today is so important. That alone should save the taxpayer £7billion.”