Ex-UK Home Secretary urges government to “alter direction” on immigration
On Thursday, ex-UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reconsider his stance on immigration, especially as the Conservative party faced internal divisions over a proposed bill to relocate illegal migrants to Rwanda.
Following the resignation of Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Sunak is scheduled to address the matter later today.
Jenrick clarified in his resignation letter that the revised version of the bill, set for a parliamentary vote next week, did not meet the desired standards, intensifying the challenges faced by the government at a crucial time in the legislative process.
Suella Braverman and her right-wing allies within the Conservative Party, known for their strict stance on preventing migrant boats from crossing the Channel, have called on Rishi Sunak to “revise this legislation.”
They argue that the current bill is bound to fail.
Braverman, expressing her sentiments in a BBC interview, expressed a strong desire for the Prime Minister to reconsider and heed the concerns of these elected representatives who find the existing bill insufficiently stringent and challenging to implement.
“This initiative is ineffective and won’t deter the boats,” as specific provisions will enable migrants to file “numerous individual claims” in court to contest their removal to Rwanda, she asserted.
Suella Braverman, dismissed by Rishi Sunak in November, advocates for London’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights and other international human rights conventions.
The revised text aims to exclude specific provisions of the British Human Rights Act from being applicable to deportations, but it falls short of endorsing London’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights.
“We must uphold our crucial commitment to halt boat arrivals; that’s how we’ll secure victory in the upcoming general election slated for the end of 2024,” she emphasized. Should Rishi Sunak succeed, “he will be able to lead us to success.”
Initially championed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this contentious initiative to relocate illegal migrants to Rwanda has faced prolonged legal obstacles and has been hindered for months by the courts.
The Conservative government is making concerted efforts to salvage the project, especially after a recent setback from the British Supreme Court last month.
The Court halted the project due to apprehensions about the safety of migrants being sent to the African nation.
Responding to Mr. Jenrick on Wednesday evening, Mr. Sunak expressed that bypassing the courts entirely could lead to the collapse of the entire system, posing the risk of Rwanda withdrawing from the project.
This year, 29,700 individuals arrived in the UK on small boats, in contrast to 45,700 in 2022.