The new British Prime Minister wants to abandon the controversial and much-criticised Labour bill that would allow the deportation of asylum seekers who entered the UK illegally. The bill was adopted by the Conservatives last April.
2 min
The new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed on Saturday July 6 that he was not ” not ready “to continue the previous Conservative government’s plan to expel migrants to Rwanda. This project ” was dead and buried before it even began. It was never a deterrent […], I am not ready to continue with gimmicky measures “, Keir Starmer said at a press conference held after the first cabinet meeting of the Labour government.
There was never a deterrent effect, it was perhaps even the opposite. Everyone understood, especially the mafia networks, that the chances of actually going to Rwanda were so slim, less than 1%, that it was never a deterrent…
Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister
When he was in opposition, the leader of the Labour Party had already announced his intention to end this controversial project of the Conservatives, launched in 2022, but never yet implemented. The subject of immigration was one of the main themes of the electoral campaign which has just ended in United Kingdom and which saw Labour win a very large majority in the House of Commons.
In the spring, the previous British Parliament had passed a law allowing these expulsions – after a previous text was rejected by the country’s Supreme Court at the end of 2023. It planned to send migrants or asylum seekers to Rwanda, with no possibility of returning to the United Kingdom.
Read alsoUK: Outcry after adoption of law on deportation of migrants to Rwanda
Bill passed, but evictions postponed
The previous prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had planned to begin deportations this summer and authorities had begun arresting migrants who might be sent there in early May. But with the general election looming, the courts ordered the release of dozens of them.
Labour promised during the campaign to tackle illegal immigration, particularly the arrival of migrants on small boats via the Channel. The new government plans to deploy counter-terrorism-inspired resources to counter people-smuggling groups. And it wants to further strengthen cooperation with Europe, particularly France. It has also pledged to increase the UK’s asylum processing capacity, which has been backlogged for several years.
More than 13,500 migrants have crossed the Channel to reach the UK so far this year. After falling last year, the number of arrivals has been rising again since January.
Read alsoMigration agreement with Rwanda: Ireland faces an influx of undocumented migrants from the United Kingdom