Both candidates in the race to become Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister have pledged fresh measures to tighten Britain’s borders and crack down further on illegal immigration.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has promised an expanded Border Force, while Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, committed to an annual cap on the number of refugees coming to Britain.
Both candidates have recommitted to the government’s Rwanda asylum scheme, under which those who enter the UK illegally will be given a one-way ticket to the African country of Rwanda.
Boosting Border Control
The Truss campaign said that as prime minister she would increase the UK’s frontline Border Force by 20 percent and double the Border Force Maritime staffing levels.The foreign secretary told the Mail on Sunday that the Rwanda scheme is the “right” policy, and said it could be expanded to include other countries.
During a visit to Kent on Saturday, Truss said the UK needs to break the “appalling” people-smuggling gangs and stop illegal immigrants taking dangerous journeys across the English Channel.
“As prime minister, I am determined to see the Rwanda policy through to full implementation as well as exploring other countries where we can work on similar partnerships. I’ll make sure we have the right levels of force and protection at our borders.”
Since the Rwanda scheme was announced in April, not a single illegal immigrant has been deported to the African country.
The first deportation flight was grounded in June by a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and another attempt is yet to be scheduled.
Capping Refugee Numbers
Sunak made similar pledges on Rwanda, with his campaign promising to do “whatever it takes” for the scheme to succeed.Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, the former chancellor offered a 10-point plan that will include a commitment to a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared to that from the ECHR, with enhanced powers to detain, tag, and monitor illegal immigrants.
Sunak also promised to give Parliament control over who comes to the UK by creating an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, which can be modified in the case of sudden emergencies.
He said: “Our immigration system is broken and we have to be honest about that. Whether you believe that migration should be high or low, we can all agree that it should be legal and controlled.”
The main opposition Labour Party has criticised the proposals, accusing the candidates of wasting taxpayers’ money on the Rwanda scheme.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Conservatives have been in power for 12 years. It beggars belief that they claim to be the ones to sort things out when they have both failed for so long.”
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