Rishi Sunak defended the government’s new asylum plan by calling halting small boats a “priority” for the British people.
Mr. Sunak clashed with Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions over the plan to combat migration.
The new law, which was announced on Tuesday, aims to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel into the UK.
Sir Keir said that if the PM was serious, he would steal Labour’s proposal and “smash” the people smuggling gangs.
He stated that Mr. Sunak was “deluded” to believe that the new legislation would reduce the number of small vessels. Given the absence of no-returns agreements with other nations.
The leader of the Labour Party stated that less than one percent of those arriving on small vessels have had their asylum applications processed and that the asylum system is “broken.”
“On his tenure, processing of those boat cases has gone from unacceptable to almost non-existent,” he said.
Mr. Sunak, however, accused Labour of not wishing to address the issue, asserting that Mr. Starmer had “never, ever voted for tougher asylum laws.”
“Stopping the boats is not just my concern, it’s the people’s priority,” Mr. Sunak told the Commons.
The government announced on Tuesday that anyone found to have entered the country illegally will not only be deported within 28 days but will also be barred from returning or claiming British citizenship in the future.
Small boat arrivals would be sent home or to a “safe third nation” like Rwanda.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman previously stated that the British public “has had enough” of migrants arriving in small vessels.
When asked on the Today show if the new policy was feasible and where the migrants would go. Ms. Braverman said she anticipated that at least 40,000 individuals would cross the English Channel this year. But acknowledged that 80,000 was a possibility.
Ms. Braverman stated that people who arrive in the United Kingdom by boat “jump the queue,” even though their claims are not processed any quicker than those of other asylum seekers, and they frequently must wait more than six months for a decision.
She stated that the government’s agreement to transfer migrants arriving in the United Kingdom to Rwanda was “uncapped” and could accommodate thousands of people.
However, since the April announcement of plans to send some British asylum claimants to Rwanda. No one has been sent there, and human rights groups continue to challenge the plans in court.
According to Yvette Cooper of Labour, the proposed changes would “make the problems even worse, increase the chaos, and place more lives at risk.”
She outlined Labour’s strategy, stating that while they concurred to “stop the boats,” they would approach it differently by establishing a new cross-border police unit to pursue gangs, overhauling the asylum system, and seeking new agreements with Europe to return people.
She told Today that without return deals, tens of thousands would stay in hotels and asylum seeker shelters.
The United Nations refugee agency has described the proposed changes as “very concerning”. And as having the potential to bar even those with compelling claims.
Vicky Tennant, the UNHCR’s representative in the United Kingdom, told that the measure would violate international law.
“We believe this is a blatant violation of the Refugee Convention. And bear in mind that even the strongest claims will not be heard.”
The 1951 Refugee Convention defines refugees and states’ obligations to defend them.
Ms. Braverman has informed Conservative MPs that there is a “greater than 50% possibility” that the legislation is incompatible with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and legal challenges are anticipated.
She stated that her actions were “lawful, proportionate, and compassionate.”
She said ministers wanted to test legal obligations but felt their plans were within them.
“We are confident that we are complying with domestic and foreign legislation,” she told Today. “But we are also stretching the boundaries and we are testing innovative and novel legal arguments.”
According to the Migrants Rights Network, it is untrue to state that people arriving via small boats are skipping the line and that they “end up in a backlog as a result of inadequate government infrastructure and years of hostile environment policies.”
“The majority of displaced individuals reside in countries adjacent to their country of origin or in other European nations. Germany, for instance, takes three times as many as the United Kingdom. Few travel to the UK because they have family ties or know English.
