Constituents in Bassetlaw have been continually telling me how sick and tired they are of seeing illegal crossings, so this week I made a trip to Dover to personally meet with Border Force officials and to see first-hand what action we are taking.
The Nationality and Borders Bill successfully passed its second reading in the Commons before summer recess – in spite of opposition attempts to derail it – and is now passing through its Committee Stage. This Bill finally addresses the long-term reform needed to overhaul the decades-old broken asylum system. It addresses the abuse in the current system by deterring illegal entry into the UK, increasing maximum sentences for people smugglers, and making it easier to swiftly remove those who enter the UK illegally.
These reforms will bring about the long-term changes needed to deter economic migrants gaming our system and using the UK as a destination of choice, while also breaking the business model of criminal people smuggling networks who are profiting by trading in human lives. It will restore the principle that those with the ability to pay to jump the queue will not be rewarded by our system. At its core is fairness. This Bill recognises that illegal entry to the UK is extremely unfair on the British public and undermines our ability to offer sanctuary to those genuinely facing oppression, persecution or tyranny.
Small boat crossings in the English Channel are illegal, dangerous, and unnecessary to enter our country. Such crossings – mainly by young men - are facilitated by ruthless and evil criminal gangs. They are also extremely unfair on the British public and we cannot allow our proud tradition of welcoming those in need of sanctuary to be exploited so that those with the means to pay people smugglers are prioritised over vulnerable people elsewhere in the world.
The increase in the numbers of people attempting to illegally enter the UK in this way is in part because of the success in closing down other routes for illegal entry. We are therefore working closely with the National Crime Agency and all law enforcement partners – internationally and domestically - to target the gangs. They will be dismantled and those responsible brought to justice. Criminals have been prosecuted and their assets have also been seized.
After the The Home Secretary told France that any financial assistance was conditional on us seeing results, I am glad to hear the French say in recent days that with this money they can stop 100% of boats. It’s amazing how they can impound one of our fishing trawlers, yet couldn’t manage with hundreds of dinghies...
In addition to this, over the summer we have worked hard to test and practice maritime tactics that will turn back the boats. Border Force have developed safe ways to achieve this and create a new deterrent. The best way to save lives and prevent illegal entry is to make it clear that the dangerous journey is unnecessary and will in any case be ineffective.
All these activities taken together – beach patrols, greater intelligence-sharing, enhanced surveillance including aerial assets, and operational maritime tactics – represent a significant uplift in capabilities that we are bringing to bear. This is a complex problem, with no single solution and we must continue to see our legislation through to truly bring reform to the system.
