Former Home Sec says Sunak's Illegal Immigration Bill an impractical 'Donald Trump playbook measure'
7 March 2023, 19:49 | Updated: 8 March 2023, 03:20
Former Home Secretary David Blunkett has said the Government's new law to tackle illegal immigration is "not doable", branding the move a "Donald Trump playbook measure".
Asked his reaction to the new law, Lord Blunkett said the approach is "totally impractical", describing it as a "Donald Trump playbook measure", because as with the wall that was going to cut the US off from Mexico, he knew that it wasn't going to be doable, and Suella Braverman and Sunak know that it's not doable.
"But it's a damn good piece of politics if you've been in difficulty with the electorate."
It comes as Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled her crackdown on migrants, warning that 100 million refugees are eligible for asylum.
Ms Braverman told MPs the Illegal Migration Bill will "stop the boats" which are bringing "tens of thousands" of people to the UK.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, she said "there are 100 million people" who would qualify for asylum under the current law.
She added: "Let's be clear - they are coming here.
"This is the crucial point of this Bill. They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed.
"Removed back to your country if it is safe, or to a safe third country like Rwanda. And that is precisely what this Bill will do. That is how we will stop the boats."
Lord David Blunkett likens Braverman's Illegal Migration Bill to a 'Donald Trump playbook measure'
Rishi Sunak backed Home Secretary Suella Braverman's controversial plan during a press conference later on Tuesday, saying Brits are fed-up with "queue jumpers" entering the UK illegally.
It follows increasing pressure on the government to curb the number of migrants arriving in the UK via illegal routes.
Lord Blunkett, who served as a Labour MP for nearly 20 years, said the issue shouldn't be used for political point-scoring against the opposition, as people risking their lives to cross the channel is a "really serious issue".
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"Nobody that I know would want to carry on with 45,000+ people risking their lives coming across the Channel, being exploited by organised criminals," he said. "You just wouldn't want that.
"So the question is, what do we do about it, how do we stop it? Not, how do we round them up when they're here and put them in camps that you'll never get planning consent for, never mind the cost, but, what do we do to stop them?
Asked about the idea of sending people to Rwanda, or to some of the places that people came from originally, Lord Blunkett said the Government might be able to get 400 or 500 people to Rwanda, in line with what the African country has agreed, and that figure is "minuscule compared with the numbers that are still to be processed from all over the world, 166,000 to be exact".
He added: "Secondly, who are these other countries? I mean, unless you reach agreement with countries, you can't dump them there."
Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper branded the Bill a "con" and described the plans as "Groundhog Day" in the wake of criticism from campaigners who said the proposed policy would be unworkable.
But Ms Braverman said the need for reform is "obvious and urgent" as the asylum system now costs the British taxpayer more than £3 billion a year.
