Suella Braverman defiant after UN condemned channel’s migrant plan

Suella Braverman sounded defiant today as the UN condemned plans to bar Channel migrants from seeking asylum in the UK.

The home secretary insisted drastic measures were needed to deal with the crisis and the “plain truth is that we cannot accept anyone who wants to come”.

Despite a barrage of criticism from human rights groups, branded by UNHCR as a “clear violation” of the Refugee Convention, Ms Braverman said the measures had been approved by the “army of lawyers” in government. “We consider our proposals very strongly to be legitimate,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

She argued that noting that people cannot skip the UK settlement queue by making the dangerous journey would act as a deterrent and reduce numbers.

Rishi Sunak will later face Keir Starmer in the PMQs after laying out the tough plan for ‘stopping the boats’ yesterday.

The Prime Minister will inevitably be challenged as to how the legislation will work in practice and how it might withstand likely legal challenges.

Suella Braverman sounded defiant today as the UN condemned plans to bar Channel migrants from seeking asylum in the UK

A group brought ashore in Dover earlier this week after crossing the Channel

Mr Sunak last night said he was “ready for the fight” against those who oppose the Illegal Migration Act, which aims to stop people from applying for asylum in the UK if they arrive by unauthorized means.

He added he was “confident” the government would win legal battles over the “tough” but “necessary and fair” measures.

In a round of interviews this morning, Ms Braverman said the policy would have a deterrent effect and the number of crossings would “drop dramatically”.

“We will see, based on the experiences of other countries, that once we are able to relocate people who have come here illegally from the UK to another safe country such as Rwanda or back to their own home country, then we will in fact, the number of people who even make the journey will drop dramatically,” she said.

Asked how the Government intends to build the detention cells needed to house the tens of thousands of people crossing the Channel, the Home Secretary told the BBC: “We don’t need to build 50,000 new detention cells.

“We will increase our detention capacity, that is absolutely certain.”

Ms Braverman also stood by her claim yesterday that “there are 100 million people around the world who might qualify for protection under our current laws” and “they come here”.

She said this morning: “I see my role as being honest… I will not shy away from showing the enormity of the problem we are facing.

“The UN itself has confirmed that there are over 100 million people worldwide who have been displaced due to all sorts of factors, such as conflict or persecution… and that’s a lot of people who would like to come to the UK.

“The simple truth is that we cannot accept anyone who wants to come to Britain.”

Ms Braverman conceded to MPs yesterday that there was a “more than) 50 per cent chance” the legislation might not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Announcing the plans in the House of Commons, Ms Braverman said illegally arriving asylum seekers will be held for 28 days without bail or judicial review before being “quickly” deported to their home country or a “safe third country” like Rwanda.

They are banned from returning for life once deported and are never allowed to settle in the country or obtain citizenship.

The feasibility of the bill has been called into question as plans such as forcibly deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda conflict with legal challenges.

The number of asylum applications rose to 74,751 last year, equivalent to 89,398 people – the highest level since 2002

The number of arrivals in small boats peaked in the summer at nearly 9,000 per month

Home Office figures reveal how the number of illegal immigration attempts detected has risen – dominated by the arrival of canal boats

But Conservative MP Richard Graham has expressed optimism about court decisions on Britain’s refugee policy, telling BBC Newsnight “there are interesting indications that our case in Strasbourg is actually being heard”.

Mr Sunak told a Downing Street press conference that migrants entering the UK illegally will be deported “within weeks” and that the law will apply “retrospectively” if passed.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said it was “deeply concerned” by the law and that if passed it would amount to an “asylum ban”.

Vicky Tennant, UNHCR representative in the UK, told Newsnight: “We believe this is a clear violation of the Refugee Convention. And remember that even people with very strong claims just won’t get the chance to make them.’

Also among the critics was BBC presenter Gary Lineker, who was slammed by the broadcaster after he wrote on Twitter: “This is just an immensely cruel policy, aimed at the most vulnerable, in language that is similar to that used in Germany in the United States not dissimilar to those used in the 1930s.”

In an email to Tory members, the Home Secretary claimed that previous attempts to end Channel crossings without resorting to legislative change had been blocked by “an activist blob made up of left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labor Party”.

Mr Sunak is due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to discuss further cooperation that will be needed to reduce boat crossings.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk