Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill.
The volume of illegal small boat arrivals has overwhelmed our asylum system. The asylum system currently costs the British taxpayer £3 billion a year, and since 2018, some 85,000 people have illegally entered the UK by small boat. This is why stopping the boats was one of the five promises the Prime Minister made to the public in January. The new Illegal Migration Bill will fulfil this promise and means that someone who enters this country illegally will be swiftly detained and removed back to their home country if it is safe, or to a safe third country such as Rwanda. This will help the break the business model of people-smuggling networks, and ultimately save lives.
In your email you highlighted your concern about the Bill breaching the European Human Rights Act. The Home Secretary has outlined that she remains confident that this Bill is compatible with international law. Both Houses of Parliament will have an opportunity to thoroughly scrutinise the Bill, and if approved, the measures in the Bill will have been endorsed.
It is also noted that, at the Special Summit of European Heads of Government on 9th February 2023, it was agreed that the concept of “safe third countries” should be used more intensively and that the European Asylum Agency should draw up guidelines for this.
You also outline New Clause 10 to the Bill, which the UK Government has not supported. This clause would have sought to establish a process to fast-track asylum claims from specified countries. The provisions set out in the Illegal Migration Bill make it clear that the asylum or human rights claims of those who have entered the UK illegally and who have not come directly from a place where their life or liberty were threatened will be declared inadmissible and therefore will not be substantively considered.
Once illegal migration reduces, the UK Government will do more to help the most vulnerable through safe and legal routes to our country, as seen with those fleeing Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine. Since 2015, the UK has offered safety to nearly 480,000 people from all over the world.
With this Bill, the UK Government seeks to ensure that that we have a safe and fair immigration system, which will continue to help the most vulnerable.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.