Rishi Sunak resorts to Channel ‘gimmick’ as he fails to get France to take back arrivals
Rishi Sunak’s plan to ban asylum seekers who arrive on small boats from ever entering Britain again is an “unworkable gimmick”, it was warned today.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tomorrow will unveil new legislation that will order the deportation of all those who make the dangerous crossing.
The PM will travel to Paris on Friday for talks with Emmanuel Macron on tackling the issue.
But it is understood he has failed to get an agreement from the French for Britain to start sending people who arrive here back there.
Instead it is expected the two sides will strike a deal to improve enforcement action taken against the people smuggling gangs.
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Charities and opposition politicians last night denounced the government’s plan to impose a lifetime ban on coming to Britain on anyone who makes the journey across the Channel on a small boat.
Labour’s Wes Streeting asked: “How on earth is that going to be enforced?
“Are we’re going to tattoo people’s foreheads with, ‘Not welcome in Britain’?”
The Shadow Health Secretary told BBC Breakfast it is “just the latest in a long line of unworkable gimmicks”.
He added: “We’re slightly pulling our hair out because, like everyone else, we’re watching these small boats come across, it’s incredibly dangerous, it’s a completely unacceptable way for people to arrive.
“But it’s partly because the Government goes after headline-grabbing gimmicks rather than trying to solve the actual problem.”
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Of the new legislation, he said: “I don’t think it’s going to see the light of day. I don’t think it’s going to get through Parliament.”
Downing Street today declined to give a timescale for Mr Sunak’s pledge to stop small boats, acknowledging there will be legal challenges.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Obviously we want to do this as quickly as possible. As we’ve always said, we recognise there will likely be challenges in many forms to this sort of legislation.”
Asked about concerns that the announcement will fuel a surge in crossings, the spokesman said: “Of course we always need to be alive to that sort of issue.”
As numbers are already rising, “there is no time to waste”, he added.
No10 declined to say whether children will be included in the new automatic deportation policy.
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Almost 3,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel already this year.
The Public and Commercial Services union, which represents Border Force officers and coastguards, today vowed not to let the government “get away” with demonising refugees.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka and Care4Calais founder Claire Moseley have written to the leaders of the country’s trade unions seeking support for a safe passage policy.
They wrote: “The Tories have been keen to demonise refugees in order to deflect from their catastrophic failures to address the current cost of living crisis. They intend to make the issue of small boat crossings the subject of legislation to use it as a battleground ahead of the next general election.
“It is vital our movement does not allow them to get away with it.”
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