The prime minister told journalists on a flight to Bali en route to the G20 summit that he has “spent more time working on controlling illegal immigration in Britain than anything else” other than the forthcoming autumn statement.
Rishi Sunak has stated that controlling illegal immigration is the “absolute priority” for his government as he begins his G20 summit with a new joint declaration with France to combat the record number of small boat crossings.
As he welcomed a new agreement with France, the prime minister told reporters on the flight to Bali that illegal immigration and the economy were his top two concerns.
Mr. Sunak told the traveling press pack en route to Indonesia, “I believe that the absolute priority of the British people and myself right now is to control illegal migration.”
In the past couple of weeks, I have devoted more time to this project than to anything else, except the autumn budget statement.
Under the terms of the agreement, annual payments from the United Kingdom to France for border patrol assistance will increase to €72 million (£63 million) in 2022/23 from €62.7 million (£54.8 million) in 2021/22.
PM under pressure
The deal is a much-needed positive for a prime minister under intense pressure over small boat crossings, with the number of people crossing the Channel by small boat reaching a record high of over 40,000 this year.
The much-touted plan to send some migrants to Rwanda is also not yet operational, and the Home Office has been criticized for allowing overcrowding at the Manston processing center in Kent, where 4,000 migrants were held in a facility designed for 1,500.
Only 4% of those who arrived in small boats last year have received a decision on their asylum applications.
Mr. Sunak stated, “I’ve been straightforward about the fact that there is nothing we can do to fix it, and it cannot be fixed overnight.”
“However, there are a variety of things I’m working on, including the French deal, where I’m confident we can reduce the numbers over time, and I intend to do so.”
Mr. Sunak is under enormous pressure to resolve this thorny issue, as Tory MPs assert that small boat crossing is one of the most pressing issues raised by voters at the polls.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, signed the agreement in France on Monday morning. She stated, “There are several components to the agreement, and I believe it represents a step forward in our collaboration with the French.
“It will not be resolved overnight. There is no silver bullet. However, I believe that for the first time we have both French and British victories.”
Under the new agreement, the number of officers patrolling the beaches will increase by 40% to 200, and for the first time, British officers will be embedded with their French counterparts to prevent people from making crossing.
To deter migrants, the British government will also invest money in migrant centers and an operations center in France.
The United Kingdom has spent a total of €200 million (£174.8 million) annually on border-related matters.
Take Downing Street.
Although the transaction is not enormous, it is nonetheless significant and may signal a period of increased collaboration between London and Paris.
Last week, Mr. Sunak raised the issue of illegal migration with his French counterpart during their first official meeting at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
The early collaboration between London and Paris during Mr. Sunak’s premiership will be viewed as a victory in Downing Street after Liz Truss caused a stir by questioning whether President Emmanuel Macron was a friend or foe.
