Jo White

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Parliament's party history for this member: Labour (4 Jul 2024 – present).

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Latest on this tracker 182

1. 4 Nov 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   Draft Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011 (Continuation) Order 2026

   I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011 (Continuation) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. The order provides for the continuation of the Secretary of State’s powers under the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011, otherwise referred to as TPIM powers. The continuation is for a further five years. The Government take all necessary steps to protect the public. The threat we face from terrorism is enduring and evolving. It is vital that we have the tools necessary to keep our country safe, which include the powers conferred on the Secretary of State in the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011. These measures ensure that, to protect the public from a risk of terrorism, when prosecution or deportation are not possible the Secretary of State can impose specified restrictions and requirements on an individual involved in terrorism-related activity. Section 21 of the Act states that the Secretary of State’s TPIM powers will expire at the end of five years from the date the Act was passed. Having been renewed twice in 2016 and 2021, those powers are due to expire at the end of 13 December 2026. Given the continuing threat to the UK from terrorism, there can be no doubt that TPIMs remain a vital component in the UK’s counter-terrorism toolkit. That position is supported by the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and the director general of the Security Service. The Act provides the Secretary of State with powers to impose a TPIM notice on an individual if the conditions set out in section 3 of the Act are assessed by the Secretary of State to have been met. Those conditions include that she reasonably believes that the individual is, or has been, involved in terrorism-related activity, and that she reasonably considers that it is necessary, for purposes connected with protecting members of the public from a risk of terrorism, to impose such measures on the individual. In addition to the power to impose a TPIM notice, the Secretary of State has powers to extend and vary a TPIM notice that is in force, and to revive a TPIM notice that has been revoked. Since the introduction of the Act in 2011, 33 TPIMs have been imposed. As of the last published set of figures from June to August 2026, four TPIMs were in force.<span id="4" class="column-number" data-column-number="4"></span> TPIMs provide some of the most restrictive measures available in the democratic world. That is why they are used sparingly and only in exceptional cases involving individuals assessed to present the highest levels of terrorism-related risk, where prosecution, deportation or other disruptive measures would be insufficient to protect the public. There are also stringent safeguards, including that the Secretary of State must be satisfied that all conditions are met and apply to the Court for permission to impose the TPIM notice, except in cases of urgency. A TPIM notice is subject to a review hearing at which the Court reviews the Secretary of State’s decisions that the conditions were met and continue to be met. The Act also provides a right of appeal in relation to specified decisions taken after its imposition. Having consulted as required by the Act, the Home Secretary has, due to the significant terrorist threat facing this country, decided to make this statutory instrument to provide for the continuation of TPIM powers for a further five years—the maximum period allowed in the legislation. The UK has one of the strongest counter-terrorism frameworks in the world, and the Government are committed to ensuring that it remains robust, to tackle the threat from terrorism and keep the public safe. TPIMs are an essential component of this framework, and their continued necessity has been endorsed through the statutory consultation the Department has undertaken.

   Hansard source
2. 4 Nov 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   Draft Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011 (Continuation) Order 2026

   I thank all members of the Committee for being here today. We greatly appreciate the scrutiny provided on this important issue. If the Secretary of State’s TPIM powers were to expire, that would remove a critical counter-terrorism capability used to manage individuals who present a significant national security risk. Subject to the agreement of the House and the other place, the order will come into force at the end of 13 December. The use of TPIMs must be necessary and proportionate. The tool is used as a last resort in circumstances where prosecution or deportation are not possible. The operation of the TPIM Act 2011 is subject to independent statutory review under section 20. The independent reviewer of terrorism legislation’s most recent report, “The Terrorism Acts in 2024”, was published on 29 April 2026 and is publicly available on gov.uk. The independent reviewer of terrorism legislation is currently Jonathan Hall KC, who supports the continuation of the TPIM Act 2011. His previous recommendations on TPIMs included amending legislation to prohibit a TPIM subject from possessing unauthorised weapons. That amendment was made under the Crime and Policing Act 2026. I urge all Members to support this order to keep the public of the United Kingdom safe and retain the strength of our counter-terrorism framework. <em>Question put</em><em> and agreed to.</em>

   Hansard source
3. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   Topical Questions

   The Government have consulted on our proposals for a reformed earned settlement scheme. We received more than 200,000 responses, which are being reviewed and analysed. The Government’s response will be announced in due course.

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4. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   Topical Questions

   We are currently consulting on proposals for earned settlement, but I would be happy to hear more about the situation facing the hon. Member’s constituent.

   Hansard source
5. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   Topical Questions

   I thank my hon. Friend for raising this case. As she will know, we received over 200,000 responses, and we are now in the process of carefully considering the feedback received. The proposals set out a fundamental reform of the settlement system, and it is right that we take the time needed to consider the impacts. The House will be updated in due course.

   Hansard source
6. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   Topical Questions

   Net migration remains high compared with pre-2020 levels, and GDP continues to grow. Over-relying on international recruitment while failing to train and upskill our domestic workforce is not a sustainable economic strategy.

   Hansard source
7. 14 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   MOD Bicester and Illegal Migrants

   This has been an important debate on one of the defining challenges of our time. Our constituents rightly expect immigration to be fair, controlled and free from abuse. For too long, it has been none of those. When this Government entered office, we inherited an asylum system in chaos, with criminal gangs deciding who could come to this country and hundreds of hotels being used to house vast numbers of illegal immigrants at immense cost to the public. It was unfair to the genuine refugees left waiting more than a year to have their case heard and unfair to the British people being asked to shoulder an ever-increasing burden in their taxes and their communities. From day one, we began the hard work of fixing our asylum system and restoring order and control to our borders. The statistics show that we are making progress. Asylum decision making is up and returns are up, while small boat arrivals are down, and we remain on track to <span id="420" class="column-number" data-column-number="420"></span>end the use of asylum hotels in this Parliament, although we know there is a long way to go. That is why we continue to work relentlessly at home and abroad to tackle the people smugglers who value profit above human life and to remove those who have no right to be here. At the same time, we are ensuring that asylum seekers are housed in the fairest, most cost-effective way. We have seen the stress and strains of hotel usage. We are ending that scandal and we are moving asylum seekers to more appropriate accommodation. Former military bases, which are secure and contained, provide one of the best solutions. They allow us to minimise the impact on the local community with services brought on-site, 24/7 security and CCTV. We will always listen to concerns and work with the community, but existing sites, including Wethersfield, have operated for years with no evidence of any significant increase in criminality attributed to their operation. We do not need to leave the ECHR to restore order to our immigration system.

   Hansard source
8. 14 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   MOD Bicester and Illegal Migrants

   No, I will not give way. Winston Churchill proposed the establishment of the European convention on human rights at the 1948 Congress of Europe, and the UK was the first country to ratify it in 1951. It came from Churchill’s experience of dealing with the Nazis before and during the second world war. Some 13 million people were murdered, unprotected. The European convention on human rights defines what we mean by never again. How those rights are interpreted and applied is important, and that is why the Home Secretary committed last year to oversee reforms to bring the ECHR into the modern age. The ECHR includes freedom of assembly, freedom to a fair trial, the prohibition of torture, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the right to life, including the right not to be murdered in your own state. That is what the Nazis did and that is where the ECHR comes from. These principles remain essential. Which two countries have chosen to stay out? Russia and Belarus. Perhaps we should ask opposition leaders in Russia and Belarus about that. They have been falsely imprisoned, tortured and murdered by the state. That is what we are talking about. By leaving the ECHR, we would throw away protections against show trials and political persecution. We will not hand over our freedoms to the whims of tyrants and dictators.

   Hansard source
9. 14 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

   MOD Bicester and Illegal Migrants

   No, I will not. Sit down. Instead, we stand with Churchill. We will build a fair, controlled immigration system that is free from abuse. We will focus on matters abut which people are rightly concerned. The issue is not the existence of the convention, but the way in which it has been applied over time. We do not fix a fault by walking away; we sort it out by restoring the right balance and ensuring that the system works as intended. That is why all 46 members of the ECHR adopted the Chiinău political declaration in May, creating solid foundations for reform. The <span id="421" class="column-number" data-column-number="421"></span>Government are now translating that into practical change, and we will see reform of the domestic application of article 8, restoring the proper balance between maintaining individual rights and protecting the public interest. This is a binary choice: reform the ECHR and have greater control over our borders, or leave and lose our ability to return illegal migrants or foreign criminals. I choose the powers that the ECHR gives us, which protects all our individual rights and freedoms. It also provides us with responsibilities, and when people have been subjected to torture or the risk of torture, we have rightly provided them with a place of security and safety. I now come to some of the points made by hon. Members. <em>[Interruption.] </em>I respond appropriately to Members. My hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Connor Naismith) wanted a timeline for the closing down of hotels in places such as Falkirk which were approved by the Tories when they were in power. The ambition is to end hotel use by the end of this parliamentary term. The number has fallen from 400 when we came into power to fewer than 160, and I will celebrate with my hon. Friend when we are in a position to close down the remaining hotel in his constituency. In response to the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (David Simmonds), the introduction of electronic travel authorisations at the borders and ports and the use of visa penalties have given us much greater control over our borders. Disincentivising crossings through the introduction of new, strong control methods, including those employed by Border Security Command, cracking down on illegal working and introducing safe and legal routes for genuine asylum cases from some of the most dangerous countries in the world has also given us more power over our borders. The change in the way in which the ECHR is applied is critical to bringing back order and control. This Government share the concern on women’s safety, and I acknowledge the concerns of the women who are here today. No woman should live a smaller life, and this Government are committed to halving violence against women and girls within this decade. Ours is a cross-Government response, and we will work as hard as we can to achieve that aim. Home Office representatives have met the chief executive and the leader of Cherwell district council to discuss cohesion challenges linked to people’s concerns about the site, and they are listening to the concerns raised by women.

   Hansard source
10. 14 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jo White

    MOD Bicester and Illegal Migrants

    This is an imperative for the Home Office. The proposal contained in the planning application includes on-site 24/7 security and CCTV. We have already introduced those measures on other large sites such as Wethersfield, which has operated in that way for years. As my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Chris Murray) identified, safeguarding for the local community is an imperative. It is important and drives the management of the site. The hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan) raised concerns about the planning process. It already includes an environmental impact assessment.

    Hansard source

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