UK vows to stop migrant boats crossing Channel
- Legislation expected to make asylum claims inadmissible from those arriving on small boats and remove them to Rwanda or ‘safe third country’
- ‘Again and again we hear from people that they have no prior knowledge of asylum system, so making it harsher is not an effective strategy’, said Red Cross
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to put an end to the “immoral” illegal migration trade as the government prepares to unveil new powers to crack down on small-boat crossings in the Channel.
The legislation, promised as part of government efforts to tackle illegal migration, could come as soon as Tuesday, as Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that the only way into Britain would be a “safe and legal route”.
The legislation is expected to make asylum claims inadmissible from those who travel to Britain on small boats.
It would see a duty placed on the Home Secretary to remove “as soon as reasonably practicable” anyone who arrives on a small boat to Rwanda or a “safe third country”.
Arrivals will also be prevented from claiming asylum while in Britain, with plans also to ban them from returning once removed.
Sunak said the new powers are a step towards fulfilling his pledge to “stop the boats once and for all”.