Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said she will introduce legislation that will result in migrants who cross the Channel in small boats being “detained and swiftly removed” from the UK.
Writing in the Sun on Sunday, she says: “Enough is enough. The British people want this solved. They’re sick of tough talk and inadequate action. We must stop the boats.
“That’s why myself and the Prime Minister have been working flat out to bring forward necessary and effective laws which will tackle this problem, once and for all,” Ms. Braverman says.
“It has to be that if you come here illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed. Our laws will be simple in their intention and practice – the only route to the UK will be a safe and legal route.
“So far, Labor has opposed every effort to bring a stop to illegal migration. They are not serious about tackling the issue that is only becoming ever more serious and allows criminal gangs to exploit vulnerable people.
“The Prime Minister and I will do whatever it takes. You can judge us by our actions.”
A new law that aims to reduce the number of small boats crossing the Channel is expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The legislation is expected to ban asylum claims from migrants who traveled to the UK on small boats.
The law would give powers to the home secretary to remove anyone who arrives on a small boat “as soon as reasonably practicable” to Rwanda or a “safe third country”.
Arrivals would be prevented from claiming asylum while in the UK and stopped from returning once removed.
Rishi Sunak and Ms Braverman are expected to unveil the plan on Tuesday after the prime minister made “stopping the boats” one of his five priorities.
The pair are also due to travel to Paris on Friday for talks with French president Emmanuel Macron.
But the legislation has been heavily criticized by some charities.
Christina Marriott, executive director of strategy at the Red Cross, called it “extremely concerning.”
“The home office knows from its own research that this will also do little to prevent people risking their lives to seek safety.
“Again and again, we hear from people that they have no prior knowledge of the UK’s asylum system, so making it harsher is not an effective strategy,” she said.
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A Sky News team has witnessed chaotic scenes in Calais
Sonya Sceats, chief executive at Freedom from Torture, called the proposals “vindictive and dysfunctional.”
“This legislation will do nothing to reduce the number of deaths in the Channel or the chaos and incompetence that blights our asylum system, nor will it guarantee sanctuary for those who need it.
“Instead, it will lead to more torture survivors being unfairly denied protection and potentially removed to Rwanda.”
Read more:
PM set to launch crackdown on asylum seeker backlog with questionnaire
Migrants waiting to cross the Channel not stopped by recent deaths
Home Office figures show 2,950 migrants have crossed the Channel in 2023 so far.
The government’s most recent policy aimed to prevent migrants from coming to the UK has been mired in controversy.
The Rwanda scheme is subject to several legal challenges. No flights taking migrants to the country have departed.
