- By Marie Jackson & Simon Jones
- BBC News
March 5, 2023 at 01:40 GMT
Updated 20 minutes ago
Image source, Getty Images
Anyone arriving in the UK on a small boat will be barred from applying for asylum under new laws expected to be announced next week.
Ministers have a duty to “detain and remove swiftly” anyone entering Britain by this route, said Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
The Prime Minister has already said that “stopping the boats” is one of his five priorities.
The British Red Cross charity called the plans “extremely worrying”.
Ms Braverman is expected to present the new legislation on Tuesday.
Currently, asylum seekers have the right to stay in the country to have their case heard. Under new laws, those arriving in small boats will be prevented from applying for asylum in the UK, deported to Rwanda or a “safe third country” and permanently barred from returning.
He is expected to travel to Paris on Friday for a UK-France summit. The meeting with President Emmanuel Macron is the first British-French summit since 2018.
It is believed that the two politicians will discuss the small boat crisis.
Mr Sunak has promised to “stop the boats once and for all” – a promise he had previously made twice in his first major speech in 2023.
“Illegal migration is not fair to British taxpayers, it is not fair to those who come here legally and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade. I’m determined to keep my promise to stop the boats. ‘ he told the Mail on Sunday.
And speaking to the Sun on Sunday, Ms Braverman said “the only route to Britain will be a safe and legal route”.
There are still many questions about how this new plan will work.
The announcement comes after days in which the news agenda was dominated by leaked Matt Hancock WhatsApp messages as well as Boris Johnson’s Partygate investigation.
The British Red Cross said the plans would do little to deter people from risking their lives in search of safety.
Another charity, Freedom from Torture, which offers therapy to asylum seekers, called her “vindictive and dysfunctional.”
The government’s promise is not easy. No migrants have been sent to Rwanda and plans to do so are currently on hold. There is also no readmission agreement with the EU.
Last year, the government announced an agreement with Rwanda to send asylum seekers there on a one-way ticket.
However, the plan has yet to get off the ground after encountering fierce opposition from activists and legal intervention.
Opponents argued that Rwanda was not a safe destination and that the program violated human rights laws.
Under the plan, asylum seekers can be granted refugee status to remain in Rwanda or seek asylum in a “safe third country”.
The government says it will discourage others from crossing the English Channel, but so far there is no evidence this has happened.
This is the highest number since the government began collecting these figures in 2018.
The latest figures from the Home Office show that 2,950 migrants have already crossed the English Channel this year.
The asylum seekers coming to the UK come from a range of countries including Albania, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
Most who come by boat apply for asylum in the UK upon arrival and, if their case is accepted, can apply to remain in the UK.
However, asylum applications made after June 28, 2022 may be rejected if the applicant has a “safe third country connection” such as EU countries.
The Home Office says there are a number of “safe and legal” routes into the UK. However, some are only available to people from certain countries, such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, or holders of British citizenship status in Hong Kong.
Other asylum routes only accept a limited number of refugees according to precise criteria