Sunak hails ‘stop the boats’ Bill a ‘critical step’ to stop illegal migrants

Rishi Sunak warned illegal migrants entering the country they face the “toughest ever” laws after victory in the face of intense opposition to his crackdown.

The Prime Minister said the “stop the boats” Bill sends a clear message that anyone breaching Britain’s borders will be detained and removed.

After a lengthy battle with peers, the legislation made it over the final parliamentary hurdle in the early hours of yesterday (TUES).

Mr Sunak admitted the reforms are not a “silver bullet” but insisted they are a “critical step forward” in stopping the dangerous Channel crossings.

The PM told the Daily Express: “I have made it my mission to stop the boats – not because it’s easy but because it’s the right thing to do.

READ MORE: Rishi Sunak wins every single migrant bill vote after hours of wrangling

“This week we will put the toughest ever set of laws onto the statute book, sending a clear message to people everywhere that if you come here illegally you will be detained and removed.

“Sir Keir Starmer tried to frustrate us at every stage – whipping his MPs and peers to vote against our Stop the Boats Bill over 70 times in the last few months to try to water it down.

“But the British people have had enough of seeing criminal gangs bringing people across the channel in flimsy dinghies to exploit our asylum system.

“It should be their democratically elected government, not criminal gangs, who decides who can enter this country.

“It’s not fair on taxpayers who have to pay the accommodation costs. It’s not fair for those who respect the rules to come to Britain legally. And it’s not fair on the people being smuggled.

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“The Labour Party opposes our plans to stop the boats. Keir Starmer wants open borders. “He campaigned for a second referendum on Brexit against the democratic will of the people.

“He said he wanted to scrap the Rwanda deal. He doesn’t want to stop the boats. But this Conservative government does.

“There is no silver bullet, and it will take time, but our new laws are a critical step forward to making this priority a reality.”

The government saw off five fresh attempts by peers to waterdown the Illegal Migration Bill in a dramatic debate that ran in the early hours.

But Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who led opposition to the “morally unacceptable and politically impractical” legislation, dropped his demand for a long term international plan on refugees and human trafficking.

And opposition peers failed in their latest bid to force changes.

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The Bill is now likely to receive royal assent, the point it formally becomes law, tomorrow (THURS).

Hundreds of migrants arrived yesterday (TUES), adding to the total so far this year of 13,250 in at least 290 boats.

The Bill means migrants will be blocked from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive illegally.

It also gives the Home Secretary the power to detain and remove anyone entering the UK illegally.

That could mean returning them to their home nation or a third country, such as Rwanda.

But the deportation deal struck with the east African nation is currently blocked by the courts.

Downing Street said the Rwanda policy must overcome its legal hurdle for the policy to be fully functional.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This is an important part of our work to stop the boats, obviously it needs to be paired with the Rwanda partnership which is being challenged in the courts.

“It’s right that we have this power in place so it can be utilised swiftly and we remain confident we will be successful in the challenge in the Supreme Court.”

The Bill encountered fierce opposition in the House of Lords, which was accused of trying to “drive a coach and horses” through the contentious plans.

The government victory put an end to the long running parliamentary tussle over the flagship reforms that had threatened to go to the wire ahead of the summer recess.

Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth said the number of small boat arrivals had “overwhelmed” the UK’s asylum system and was costing taxpayers £6 million a day to provide accommodation.

He told peers: “With over 45,000 people making dangerous Channel crossings last year this is simply no longer sustainable.

“If people know there is no way for them to stay in the UK, they won’t risk their lives and pay criminals thousands of pounds to arrive here illegally.

“It is therefore only right that we stop the boats and break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people, ultimately enabling the Government to have greater capacity to provide a safe haven for those at risk of war and persecution.”

He urged the Lords to “respect the will of the elected House and the British people by passing this Bill”.

Mr Welby said he did not believe the Bill would stop small boats crossing but conceded the legislation was the will of elected MPs.

“I agree that in the end on most things except the most essential that this House must give way to the other place,” he said.

“The problem with the Bill is that it has not started at the right place. Where it needed to start with is… to have a level of national consensus and agreement on what the aim of our migration policy and immigration policy is in the long-term.”

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, criticised the plans.

He said: “For decades, the UK has provided refuge to those in need, in line with its international obligations – a tradition of which it has been rightly proud.

“This new legislation significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law.”

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “This new law is a con which will only make the Tories’ asylum chaos worse. It fails to tackle the criminal smuggler gangs and makes it easier for traffickers.

“And it cancels asylum decision making with no return agreements in place so it will just increase the asylum backlog with even more people in costly hotels.

“They have lost all common sense and decency.”

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