Rishi Sunak has said that the “vast majority” of Albanian nationals arriving in the UK without visas will be removed immediately to their homeland under tough new rules being introduced by the government.
The move forms part of a five-point package to reform the handling of people arriving across the English Channell in small boats, including raising the bar for individuals claiming to be victims of modern slavery.
Mr Sunak also promised legislation next year to ensure that anyone arriving in the UK by illegal routes will be “detained and swiftly returned” and will not be able to delay their removal by “spurious claims”.
He said that the government has identified sites to house 10,000 migrants in disused holiday parks, student accommodation and military sites, with thousands more places to be added in the coming months.
And measures will be introduced to process claims within “days or weeks, not years” which Mr Sunak should abolish the backlog of claims by the end of next year.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Sunak announced the creation of a new Small Boats Operational Command, bringing together the military, the National Crime Agency and civilian staff to tackle unauthorised crossings of the English Channel.
Mr Sunak claimed that the global system for providing asylum to those fleeing war and persecution was “obsolete”, with 100m displaced people around the world and hostile states using migration as a weapon.
He said it was “unfair” that some migrants came to the UK by unauthorised routes after passing through other safe countries where they could have applied for asylum.
“It is not cruel or unkind to want to break the stranglehold of criminal gangs who trade in human misery and who exploit our system and laws,” he said.
“Enough is enough. As currently constructed the global asylum framework has become obsolete.”
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