Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum came together in Westminster on 24 April 2019 to launch a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Immigration Detention.
The meeting was an opportunity to share concerns about various aspects of immigration detention in the UK – including the numbers of people detained, the conditions in which people are kept, and the difficulty in obtaining information about detention from relevant bodies. The APPG will offer a forum through which parliamentarians can address these concerns at Westminster and press for change.
Elections were also held for the APPG’s office holders during the meeting. The results were:
- Chair: Alison Thewliss MP (SNP)
- Vice-chairs: Christine Jardine MP (Liberal Democrat). Afzal Khan MP (Labour)
- Treasurer: Paul Sweeney MP (Labour)
- Secretary: Rt Hon. Joan Ryan MP (Change UK – The Independent Group)
- Officers: Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Conservative), Stephen Doughty MP (Labour), Ruth George MP (Labour), Helen Hayes MP (Labour), Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour), Stuart C. McDonald MP (SNP), Kate Osamor MP (Labour), Rt Hon. Keith Vaz MP (Labour), Hywel Williams MP (Plaid Cymru)
Parliamentarians can join the APPG at any time. You can access a full up-to-date membership list here.
The immigration detention charity Medical Justice will provide secretariat services to the new APPG.
If you would like to read more about the meeting, please download the minutes below.