'Vindictive' small-boat measures attacked

Humanitarian groups have called new plans by the United Kingdom government to crack down on small boats full of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel from mainland Europe "extremely concerning" and "vindictive and dysfunctional".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman both told Sunday newspapers that firm action would be taken to address the issue that was declared "a major incident" by then-home secretary Sajid Javid in December 2018. It has remained a major political concern ever since, but without any significant progress being made on addressing the issue.

At the moment, asylum seekers have a right to remain in the country to have their case heard, but new laws to be introduced by Braverman on Tuesday will see those who come in small boats barred from claiming asylum, removed to a "safe third country" and banned from returning to the UK permanently.

"Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally, and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade," Sunak told The Mail on Sunday. "I am determined to deliver on my promise to stop the boats."

Braverman, who last October said "I would love to have a front page of The (Daily) Telegraph (newspaper) with a plane (full of asylum seekers) taking off to Rwanda, that's my dream, it's my obsession," added to The Sun on Sunday that "the only route to the UK will be a safe and legal route".

The British Red Cross charity said the proposed measures were "extremely concerning", while the group Freedom from Torture, which provides therapy for asylum seekers, said they were "vindictive and dysfunctional … and will only lead to more torture survivors and refugees being denied the safety and support they deserve".

The latest announcement comes at the end of a week where Sunak's breakthrough on post-Brexit relations with the EU has been overshadowed by the leaking of thousands of damaging text messages around the government's handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and also the revival of the issue of then-prime minister Boris Johnson having broken lockdown restrictions by having illegal parties.

In April 2022, Johnson announced a high-profile deal with the government of the African country of Rwanda to take rejected asylum seekers from Britain, worth a reported 120 million pounds ($144.4 million) but, so far, legal challenges mean not one person has been sent.

Sunak is expected to go to Paris this week to meet France's President Emmanuel Macron for the first UK-France leaders' summit since 2018, with the matter being on the agenda for discussion.

The opposition Labour Party's shadow secretary of state for work and pensions Jonathan Ashworth said the latest announcements were just more talk from the government after months of inaction.

"We've seen more boat crossings and the criminal gangs are getting away with more and more," he told Sky News.