Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government plans new laws to prevent people who enter the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, as it looks for ways to halt a record influx of migrants crossing the English Channel.
Discussing legislation expected to be introduced this week, Chris Heaton-Harris, secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said more options could be provided to would-be migrants, while offering little detail in interviews on Sky News and BBC on Sunday.
“The legislation is very black and white,” Heaton-Harris said on Sky. “If you come to the country illegally, you can’t claim asylum.”
“Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally, and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade
— Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Sunak has said that stopping asylum seekers from making their way to the UK in small vessels — often inflatable boats, dinghies or kayaks — is one of his priorities. The craft are typically launched from France, and Sunak is expected to discuss the situation when he meets French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday.
“Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally, and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade,” Sunak told the Sunday Express newspaper. “If you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.”
Heaton-Harris pointed to “safe and legal” routes used by refugees coming to the UK from Ukraine and Afghanistan as successful models.
While the UK government already has a law on the books to deal with the small boat crisis, Heaton-Harris said more is needed to counter the stress that increased illegal migration is having on communities in the UK.
A record 45,756 migrants reached the UK via the Channel last year, up more than 60% from a year earlier. Since May, some 42% of those arriving on small boats have been from Albania, which the UK considers a safe country, according to Home Office figures.
“We also need some legislation on top of what we are doing so we can make sure that people who come to this country illegally can be returned as quickly as possible,” Heaton-Harris said on BBC News. “They will be returned, or sent to somewhere like Rwanda.”
The UK government’s controversial immigration scheme — to fly asylum seekers some 6,400km to the East African nation — was ruled lawful by a panel of judges in December. Legal challenges continue, though, and no flights have departed to Rwanda so far.
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