Preventing illegal immigrants from reaching Britain’s shores in small boats is a priority for the British people, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said as he defended the government’s plan to crack down on illegal crossings in the English Channel.
The government on Tuesday unveiled the Illegal Migration Bill, which will ban anyone who arrives in the UK illegally from claiming asylum.
Under the new law, illegal entrants will be swiftly removed from the UK to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda. They will also be banned from reentry.
An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The main opposition Labour Party opposes the plan. A Labour spokesman confirmed to reporters in Westminster on Wednesday that the party’s MPs would be instructed to vote against the bill….