'We've tried every other way': Rishi Sunak endorses controversial migrant crackdown as Brits fed-up with 'queue jumpers'

7 March 2023, 17:54 | Updated: 7 March 2023, 19:13

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has backed Home Secretary Suella Braverman's controversial plan to crackdown on migrants.

Brits are fed-up with "queue jumpers" entering the UK illegally, Mr Sunak said.

Speaking during a press conference at No10, he explained the number of people entering the UK in small boats had more than quadrupled in the last two years.

He said criminal gangs were exploiting the current system, adding that migrants can make a "multitude" of claims "to frustrate their removal".

He backed Ms Braverman's earlier points that people who arrived in the UK illegally will be removed "within weeks" and receive a lifetime ban on claiming asylum.

"I understand there will be debate about the toughness of these measures," Mr Sunak went on to say, "All I can say is that we have tried it every other way and it has not worked.

"So I say again: my policy is very simple, it is this country—and your government—who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs."

He said the legislation is "tough", but "necessary" and "fair".

Read more: More Channel boats arrive in UK as Sunak prepares to unveil crackdown on migrants

Read more: Lifetime ban for Channel migrants as government vows small boat arrivals will 'never come back'

Rishi Sunak speaks on Illegal Immigration Bill at Downing Street

It comes after 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."

Ms Braverman said people will be able to be detained for 28 days without bail or judicial review.

Only under-18s, those medically unfit to fly or at "real risk" if they are returned to the country they have left will be able to lodge an appeal to avoid being deported.

There will also be an annual cap on the number of refugees entering via safe routes as part of the bill.

'Let's be clear, they are coming here': Home Sec announces new migrant plans

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.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit Dover and will set out the plan during a press conference.

It follows increasing pressure on the government to curb the number of migrants arriving in the UK via illegal routes.

Set to be unveiled today as part of strict new measures pushed through Parliament, sources close to Braverman say ministers see it as a 'no ifs, no buts' crackdown.

According to reports, it's understood a rarely used measure contained within the Human Rights Act will be harnessed and will 'radically curtail' human rights claims.

Known as a Section 19.1.B statement, the legal measure will allow the legislation to pass through Parliament.

It comes as desperate migrants continue to make their way across the Channel on small boats, despite Rishi Sunak announcing plans to ban them from returning or claiming citizenship under fresh laws.

It's understood ministers have received advice that the proposals tabled by the Home Secretary are lawful according to the Daily Mail, despite pushing the boundaries of the European Convention on Human Rights to the absolute limit.

If passed, the proposals tabled today will see migrants arriving in small boats stripped of their rights and banned from lodging human rights appeals.

According to government sources, most of those who arriving illegally will then only be able to appeal following their deportation.

A sources close to Mrs Braverman is said to have told the Daily Mail: "The British people have had enough. This Government is determined to stop the boats and ensure we have all the powers available to remove illegal migrants from the country."

Another added: "This new duty to remove will ensure that the Home Secretary's power to remove migrants takes precedence in law and ensures asylum, human rights and modern slavery claims are blocked."

The only exemptions to the proposals are set to be children and the gravely ill, who will be permitted to stay in Britain while they bring legal challenges, Mrs Braverman is expected to say.

The proposals follow the news that around 40 migrants were brought into Dover by the RNLI on Monday - the first group to make the journey in over a week.

It comes as the government vowed not to give up on its Rwanda policy - a proposal that would see 200 illegal immigrants deported to the African nation, despite no airline yet agreeing to take the detainees.