Rishi Sunak’s Plan to Stop Migrant Crossings

By Yasmine A

The UK government’s new plan to stop migrants from entering the UK is set to be passed under the Illegal Migration Bill. The bill will make anyone entering the country illegally on small boats unable to claim refuge or seek citizenship.

Rishi Sunak has claimed that it is "fair for those at home and those who have a legitimate claim to asylum" whilst Keir Starmer, the current leader of the opposition Labour party, describes the measures as “unworkable.” Sunak has made the issue one of his key commitments under his premiership; the government believes it is an important topic to voters, making it vital in the next election.

Last year, more than 45,000 individuals crossed channels to reach the UK, in comparison to 300 in 2018.

These proposals would mean the home secretary would have a duty to remove people arriving illegally in the UK, which would be prioritised over a person's right to claim asylum. However, there are still exceptions for minors and those who are seriously ill. The bill would take several months to become law but those arriving in the UK illegally are already at risk as of this week.

There have been questionings regarding the compatibility of the legislation with the Human Rights Act and the UN’s Refugee Convention, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman saying the bill would push ‘the boundaries of international law.’ The bill may come with a “Section 19b” statement as a result of this, which essentially highlights that the given proposals may not be in line with the Human Rights Act.

As a result of this, the bill could fail in court and the majority within the House of Commons does not guarantee the plan will not be blocked in the House of Lords.

The proposals essentially say that those arriving illegally would be removed to a “safe third country” despite the failure of previous policy plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. Rishi Sunak describes the plan as “fair for those at home and those with a legitimate claim to asylum, " describing those illegally entering as not in immediate danger as well as being fair to those who were “not jumping the queue.”

The Liberal Democrats described the idea as "immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers while doing nothing to stop small boat crossings", whilst the Refugee Council stated that the UK would lose its commitment to giving people a fair chance regardless of the way they came into the UK.