'I'll do whatever it takes to tackle migrant crisis' vows Braverman after 40,000 cross Channel in 2022
5 December 2022, 05:36
Suella Braverman has vowed to do "whatever it takes" to tackle the migrant crisis as she said the public had enough of people "persistently abusing human rights laws".
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The home secretary made her comments in a foreword to a report setting out recommendations to stop the thousands of small boat crossings.
The report from the Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right think tank, called for an overhaul of human rights laws, including the option of withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights to enable detentions of migrants.
It also suggested introducing laws to make asylum claims in the UK impossible if a person has travelled through a safe country.
And more deals with countries should be struck that would see them take on asylum seekers who arrive in Britain, like the stalled Rwanda deal, the paper said.
Ms Braverman said she did not agree with everything in the report.
But she added: "The British public are fair-minded, tolerant and generous in spirit. But we are fed up with the continued flouting of our laws and immigration rules to game our asylum system."
"And we've had enough of the persistent abuse of human rights laws to thwart the removal of those with no right to be in the UK. This must end.
"Saying so is not xenophobic or anti-immigration. It is the reality acknowledged and felt by the vast majority of the British public. To pretend otherwise is to insult them."
The home secretary added: "The Prime Minister and I are committed to doing whatever it takes. We are finalising our plan, and we will deliver the operational and legislative changes necessary to comprehensively tackle this problem."
More than 40,000 people have crossed the Channel this year – significantly higher than the 28,000 who made the journey in 2021.
Ministers have yet to come up with a way of stopping the often perilous crossing.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick suggested targeted measures could be used – including banning people from safe countries like Albania from claiming asylum.
Much focus has been put on the number of people coming to the UK from the Balkan state.
The report's co-author, Nick Timothy, a former adviser to Theresa May, said: "If we are to stop the crossings, we will need to take immediate and bold action," he said. "It is not something that can be fixed through gradual, incremental change."
