Over 45,000 people illegally crossed the Channel in small boats last year – this cannot continue. There is nothing remotely humane, kind, compassionate or caring about allowing these crossings to continue. It is dangerous to human life, it creates a business model that criminal gangs cruelly exploit – and it is unfair.
It is unfair on those with a genuine case for asylum – who must not be conflated with economic migrants, as some with a political axe to grind will tend to do – because it undermines the consent of the British people to help those in most need.
The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have already delivered the largest ever small boats deal with France; a new agreement with Albania so the vast majority of Albanian illegal migrants are sent home; a new, permanent, unified Small Boats Operational Command with 700 new staff; tougher immigration enforcement; a tighter system for processing modern slavery claims; and a plan to clear the initial asylum backlog by the end of 2023 and move migrants out of expensive hotels.
The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary are therefore, rightly pursuing an approach that goes further than any previous immigration bill. This new legislation makes clear that if you enter the UK illegally you will be:
1. Detained immediately
2. Removed to a safe country within weeks
3. Banned from claiming asylum in the UK
4. Denied Access to the UK’s modern slavery system
5. Stopped from making late and spurious claims to frustrate removals
I am pleased to see the Prime Minister taking action to fulfil his promise set out in January and I will be following the bill’s progress through Parliament closely.