§ 43. Mr. J. Hyndasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will reconsider his decision to prevent Mr. Pietro Devoti from living in this country with his wife, in view of the fact that she is a British subject resident in the United Kingdom.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeNo, Sir. As the hon. Member is aware, immigration to the United Kingdom is necessarily restricted, and in the absence of special circumstances I should not feel justified in allowing a foreigner to settle here solely because of his marriage to a British woman of foreign parentage, who has returned to her parents' country to marry and who has herself spent over half her life in her husband's country.
§ Mr. HyndIs the Home Secretary aware that this is not the only case, and that other British-born women who live here are in a similar position? Where are the high moral standards that we talked about in the case of the Russian wives? Does this principle apply only to British wives and not to British men wanting to bring their foreign wives here? Is the right hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that the woman in question has four children in this country, and expects another shortly?
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeThere is no analogy whatever between this case and the Russian wives: they were prevented from coming to join their husbands. This woman has not been prevented from joining her husband.