An Internship for the Labour Party: Including An Examination of The Asylum and Immigration Bill 1996
Abstract
During the winter quarter of the 1995-6 school year, I worked as an
assistant to Stephen Timms, Member of Parliament, at the House of
Commons in London. I was required to organize and respond to Mr. Timms'
letters from lobbyists, fellow MPs, and constituents. Also, as an assistant to
Mr. Timms I was allowed to sit in on Parliamentary sessions in the House of
Commons and assist Mr. Timms in completing his official duties as an MP.
In doing this I developed a great interest in the politics of asylum and
immigration in the UK today. Mr. Timms is an MP for Newham North East,
a constituency in which a large number of immigrant populations reside, and
many of these immigrants are in the process of seeking asylum. As I had the
opportunity to work hands-on with some of the asylum seekers and work in
Parliament as the Asylum and Immigration Bill 1996 was passed, I felt that
this was a fitting subject upon which to write my Senior Individualized
Project. This paper is organized into three sections: the essay, the annotated
bibliography and the journal. The essay is separated into four sections. First, I
shall be discussing the historical origins of the Asylum and Immigration Bill
1996 beginning during the post-war period. I will note the roles both the
Labour and Conservative parties have played in the development of the
Asylum and Immigration Bill1996. Second, I shall examine Margaret
Thatcher's years as Prime Minister in regard to the issue of asylum and
immigration, and I shall note the nationality acts that were passed during this
period. Third, I shall look at the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993
and show how this Act lead to the necessity of the Asylum and Immigration
Bil11996. Finally, I shall discuss the Asylum and Immigration Bil11996 and
its ramifications.