British PM Sunak is under pressure to find a solution to the flow of migrants arriving in Britain across the channel from Europe
In an interview published Sunday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said any immigrants arriving illegally in the country would be prevented from staying, ahead of legislation expected to address the migration influx.
Under pressure to find a solution to the flow of migrants arriving in Britain across the channel from Europe, Sunak has made stopping small boats one of his five key priorities.
“Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay,” Sunak told The Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Under current policy, asylum seekers who reach British land are often able to remain there to have their case heard. But a new law to tackle the issue is due to be proposed on Tuesday after more than 45,000 people made the perilous crossing in 2022.
Last year, former prime minister Boris Johnson agreed to a deal to send tens of thousands of migrants – having made the journey from Afghanistan, Syria, and other countries suffering from conflict – to Rwanda in east Africa. That policy has faced a legal battle after the first planned deportation flight was blocked by a last-minute injunction granted by the European Court of Human Rights.
Asked by Sky News whether those arriving in Britain illegally would be banned from claiming asylum, government minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Yes. Should people come to this country illegally, then they will be returned or sent to somewhere like Rwanda.”
The Mail on Sunday reported that under the new law, asylum claims from those who arrive on small boats would be ruled inadmissible and they would be removed and permanently banned from returning.
“The only route to the UK will be a safe and legal route,” said British Interior Minister Suella Braverman.
