A new law to crack down on migrants arriving in Britain in small boats from Europe across the English Channel would be unveiled tomorrow, with a senior minister saying “enough is enough,” the Sun newspaper reported on Sunday.
The British government has been promising to step up action to tackle the issue after the numbers making the perilous crossing soared to more than 45,000 last year.
The paper reported the proposed new legislation would mean that all those who arrive on small boats would have their asylum claims ruled inadmissible and would be removed to a “safe third country” as soon as possible.
Photo: AFP
“Enough is enough. The British people want this solved,” British Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the paper. “They are sick of tough talk and inadequate action. We must stop the boats.”
The number of migrants arriving on the English coast has more than doubled in the past two years and tackling the issue was one of five key priorities outlined in January by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose party is languishing in polls, under pressure from his own lawmakers to find a solution.
Last year, then-British prime minister Boris Johnson agreed a deal to send tens of thousands of migrants, many having made the journey from Afghanistan, Syria or other countries suffering war, more than 6,400km to Rwanda.
However, the first planned deportation flight was blocked in June last year by a last-minute injunction granted by the European Court of Human Rights, and the strategy’s lawfulness was subsequently challenged at London’s High Court.
The court subsequently ruled it lawful in December, but opponents are seeking to appeal that verdict. It is expected the legal battle would end up in the UK Supreme Court and so might not be resolved for months.
The policy has been denounced by human rights groups and even reportedly by King Charles III.
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