People who cross the Channel in small boats will face a ban from claiming asylum in Britain under plans announced by the Home Secretary.

Suella Braverman said earlier today that her ‘dream and obsession’ is to see a plane full of migrants taking off to Rwanda after last-minute legal challenges blocked flights.

But hours later, she took her immigration schemes one step further by setting out new proposals to impose a blanket ban on anyone deemed entering the UK illegally from seeking refuge.

This would go further than the controversial Nationality and Borders Act which came into force in June. 

The announcement sparked disgust from campaigners, who labelled it ‘barbaric and unnecessary’ and ‘a blatant breach of the international refugee laws that the UK proudly helped create in the first place’.

Addressing the Conservative conference in Birmingham, Ms Braverman set out her intention to ensure UK immigration policy is not ‘derailed’ by modern slavery laws, the Human Rights Act or the European Court of Human Rights.

‘We have got to stop the boats crossing the Channel. This has gone on far too long’, she said. ‘But I have to be straight with you: there are no quick fixes and the problem is chronic.’

She added that the law ‘simply isn’t working’, with legislation ‘abused’ by people smugglers and making ‘multiple, meritless and last-minute claims’.

Offering ‘egregious examples’, the top minister alleged she had seen rapists and paedophiles lying to gain entry to Britain.

‘Conference, I will commit to you today that I will look to bring forward legislation to make it clear that the only route to the United Kingdom is through a safe and legal route’, she said.

‘So if you deliberately enter the United Kingdom illegally from a safe country, you should be swiftly returned to your home country or relocated to Rwanda. That is where your asylum claim will be considered.’

So far in 2022, more than 33,500 people have arrived in the UK after making the journey from France.

Ms Braverman – who only replaced Priti Patel a month ago – insisted that she would allow ‘the kind of immigration that grows our economy’.

But she warned ‘many forces work against’ her solution to the ‘complex and entrenched problem’.

‘The Labour Party will try to stop this. The Lib Dems will go bananas. The Guardian will have a meltdown’, she said.

‘As for the lawyers. Don’t get me started on the lawyers. And I’m a recovering lawyer.’

In a conclusion that sparked two standing ovations, she pledged her ‘total and undeniable and unfettered and unconditional commitment to doing whatever it takes’.

Clare Mosley, founder of refugee charity Care4Calais, has slammed the Home Secretary’s ‘false’ claims about people crossing the channel in boats.

‘There is a mountain of evidence that the vast majority are genuine refugees; this criminalisation of them is blatant victim blaming of incredibly vulnerable people, simply for the purpose of grabbing headlines’, she argued.

‘Those who have escaped from the worst horrors in this world should not be risking their lives once again simply to claim asylum in the UK. The obvious answer is to give them safe passage. This would break the model of people smugglers and save lives.’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

Steve Crawshaw, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said the ‘inhumane plans clearly undermine international rules introduced after the Holocaust that ensure no-one fleeing persecution is refused protection because of how they arrive in a country’.

Meanwhile, Refugee Action chief executive Tim Naor Hilton said: ‘It is now clear that this Home Secretary cares only for keeping people out, not keeping them safe.’

Conservative former chief whip Andrew Mitchell said Ms Braverman’s plan would only work if the UK makes a deal with France – noting President Macron’s ‘extremely fractious relationship’ with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Braverman told a conference fringe event she would ‘love to be here claiming victory, I would love to be having a front page of the Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, that’s my obsession’.

It would be ‘amazing’ if the first flight could take off by Christmas, she said, but added: ‘If I’m honest I think it’s going to take longer.’

Appearing on the Chopper’s Politics podcast, she said her ‘ultimate aspiration’ would be to get net migration down into the tens of thousands but refused to set a target for the next election.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article