British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday that his plan to stop migrants arriving in small boats had reduced crossings by 20%, an update he hopes will ease criticism of his immigration policy from his party and the country.
Sunak, who is expected to lead his governing Conservative Party into a national election next year, has pledged to “stop the boats” from crossing the English Channel as one of his five pledges since taking office in October last year.
However, he has been chastised by members of his own party and the public for not moving quickly enough, with people protesting the placement of hundreds of migrants in hotels after a record number arrived in the UK last year.
“In the five months since I launched the plan, crossings are now down 20% compared to last year,” Sunak said at a press conference in southern England.
“The plan is working,” he said, adding that his government was not complacent and would work hard to ensure that a new law was passed by parliament.
According to the opposition Labour Party, Sunak has failed to clear a backlog of tens of thousands of asylum claims, and 7,600 people have crossed the English Channel this year, a figure that is expected to rise over the summer months.
Britain has long struggled to reduce the number of arrivals on its southern shores, but Sunak is eager to demonstrate that his plan of securing agreements with other European countries to reduce arrivals and toughening the country’s stance on immigration can produce results.
He stated that a deal with Albania had resulted in Britain returning more migrants to the country and that London was increasing its provision of housing for those awaiting immigration decisions. He stated that the government had secured two new vessels to house migrants and transport them away from hotels.
Sunak stated that “the number of Albanian small boat arrivals has fallen by almost 90%” so far this year, and that Britain is now accepting one in every 50 Albanian asylum cases, compared to one in every five previously.
He urged parliament to pass his new Illegal Migration Bill, which would allow for the quick detention and deportation of people arriving on small boats back to their home countries or so-called safe third countries like Rwanda.
It has now reached the upper house of parliament, where peers may attempt to weaken some of its provisions.
“This will not be solved overnight, and people will continue to come this summer, which is why changing the law is critical,” he said.
“My policy is straightforward: it is up to this country – and your government – to decide who comes here, not criminal gangs.” I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. “When I said I’d stop the boats, I meant it.”
