Member

We cannot accept a situation that may have existed 80 years ago and assume that it is applicable to today. As the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Sentamu, said, things can change pretty quickly, at the snap of a finger—and things are changing. Our world is dominated by authoritarian leaders, corruption and other forces. We cannot simply stick to the ground as it was after the Second World War, which is what we are doing. We have to move. We do not want to destroy the fundamental benefits of a lot of these treaties, but we must make sure that they have credibility with the public. I can assure noble Lords that, if they go out on to the streets and tell people that we have to support the 1951 refugee convention, they will find that it means nothing to the lives of ordinary people. That is the mistake that Parliament and the Government have been making for the last 20 years.