Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 15 December (HL3642), whether they consider the public advocacy of rape to be a ground for excluding a person from entering the United Kingdom.

The Home Secretary has the power to personally exclude foreign nationals from the UK if the person’s presence in the UK is considered not to be conducive to the public good. The power to exclude is broad, but is normally used in circumstances involving national security, unacceptable behaviours, international relations/foreign policy, and serious organised crime.

The unacceptable behaviours policy covers a list of non-exhaustive indicators, including where individuals express views which foment serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to commit serious criminal acts.

Exclusion decisions are very serious and no decision to exclude is taken lightly. These powers are only used when justified and based on all available evidence. These decisions are made according to the individual circumstances of each case.