Migrants who arrive illegally in the UK may be subject to a general ban from applying for asylum and benefits. Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced the plans at the Tory conference on Wednesday and is considering new laws that would make it easier to evict.
Ms Braverman unveiled her plans at the Tory conference in Birmingham, promising to allow “immigration that makes our economy grow” but “end the abuse of the rules” after more than 33,000 people have died by 2022 so far. have crossed the Channel in small boats.
She told the conference: “It is right that we extend the hand of friendship to those in real need.
“This country has always done that. It did that for my father in the 1960s as a young man from Kenya. We have now welcomed hundreds of thousands of people fleeing Syria, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
“At the same time, we must use our newfound control to deliver the kind of immigration that makes our economy grow, such as helping projects that have stalled or building relationships with our friends and allies.
“Parts of the system fail. We need to end the abuse of the rules and reduce the numbers that don’t meet the needs of our economy.”
Sources told The Times that Mrs Braverman’s legislation would be designed to create a “general ban” for anyone entering the UK illegally, including on small boats, to seek refuge.
It is not yet clear how the plans of the new interior minister will be implemented or differ from measures previously taken by Priti Patel.
Ahead of the interior minister’s comment, the Refugee Action charity hailed a “day of disgrace to the government”.
READ MORE: Sterling rises to highest level for weeks as Kwasi plans cuts
So far, more than 33,500 people have arrived in the UK in 2022 following the journey from France, already exceeding the total of 28,526 in 2021.
The Department of the Interior’s reasonable worst-case scenario for how many people will make the trip in total this year is 60,000 people.
Figures from the Ministry of the Interior show that between January 2018 and June 2022, 94 percent of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats applied for asylum.
Ms. Braverman also announced at the Tory party conference that she will prevent modern slavery laws from being “abused” by people smugglers.
The Home Secretary said the Modern Slavery Act, introduced by former Prime Minister Theresa May, will be revised to prevent migrants from avoiding deportation.
She urged the government to make plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for “work”, and said it would work closely with the French to reduce channel crossings.
The interior minister also spoke against the European Court of Human Rights as “undermining the sovereignty of our borders”, after the court intervened in the first flight of migrants to Rwanda.
Speaking at a fringe event at the Birmingham party conference ahead of her speech, Ms Braverman said her “dream” was to have a flight leave Rwanda before Christmas.