11th October 2025
Hazel Grove’s Liberal Democrat MP, Lisa Smart, has urged the Government to combine compassion with competence in its handling of asylum and immigration policy, warning that ministers risk “repeating past mistakes” if they fail to learn from the Conservatives’ record on asylum backlogs and unsafe crossings.
Speaking in the House of Commons following the Home Secretary’s latest statement on asylum reform, Ms Smart welcomed aspects of the Government’s plan but criticised what she described as years of mismanagement that left “applications for asylum routinely taking years to process”.
“Anyone with any sense knows that the Conservatives trashed our asylum system and left the backlog spiralling out of control,” she told MPs.
“Some of the Home Secretary’s remarks are welcome, but I worry that this Government risk repeating some of the same mistakes.”
Ms Smart said the Liberal Democrats would “closely scrutinise” the Home Secretary’s new proposals but warned against further cuts to safe family reunion routes for refugees. She noted that more than half of those granted family reunion visas in the year to June 2025 were children under 18, and said restricting those routes would be “counterproductive”.
“If the Home Office’s own figures show that people risk their lives in small boats because there are too few safe alternatives, then cutting family reunion makes the problem worse, not better,” she said.
While praising the recent increase in decision-making speed, Ms Smart said the asylum backlog remains too large and decisions too slow. She also raised concerns about quality, pointing out that almost half of rejected asylum claims were overturned on appeal in 2024, and asked the Home Secretary to clarify how long cases are currently taking on average.
“Decisions must be right the first time,” she said. “Applicants should not be left in limbo, courts should not be overburdened, and taxpayers should not be footing the bill for avoidable delays.”
Ms Smart also welcomed progress in cooperation with France on tackling Channel crossings but pressed the Home Secretary for details on when reciprocal arrangements would be expanded.
Locally, the MP drew attention to the impact of the asylum system on Stockport Council and local services, warning that when people leave hotel accommodation, many present as homeless.
“This creates an unsustainable burden on councils, including my own,” she said. “We need to ensure this crisis is not simply shifted from one overstretched system to another.”
Turning to community relations, Ms Smart spoke movingly about recent concerns in Romiley and the surrounding area over flags appearing on lampposts. Constituents had contacted her fearing that the symbols were being used “to divide our community, not bring it together”.
“Patriotism is a good thing,” she said. “We should be proud that our country welcomed people such as my nan in the 1930s when she was fleeing the Nazis.
I’m proud of those police officers who kept people safe during the hotel protests, proud of our teachers who welcome new classmates, and proud of the volunteers who give their time to help new arrivals. That is what real patriotism looks like.”
