“Stop the boats”: Prime Minister Sunak is taking a tough stance against irregular migration. But his policy has had no visible consequences so far.
Despite promises by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to stop irregular migration across the English Channel, the number of entries via this route reached a record high in the first half of the year. Since the beginning of the year, 12,901 people have crossed from France, mostly in small boats, the British news agency PA reported, citing preliminary figures from the Home Office in London. That was 17 percent more than in the same period last year and 8 percent more than in the previous record half of 2022.
Prime Minister Sunak has made migration one of his most important issues in the election campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections on July 4. The conservative head of government wants to stop the boats with tough laws.
All migrants who arrive in the United Kingdom without the necessary papers are to be deported to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. They are to apply for asylum there; there is no provision for them to return to the United Kingdom. However, it is considered unlikely that the controversial plan will be implemented. The social democratic Labour Party, which is likely to win the election, has already announced that it will scrap the Rwanda policy.
In 2022, a total of 45,774 irregular migrants arrived in Great Britain. In the previous year, the number fell by a good third. But critics say this does not go far enough. They see the current figures as confirmation of their views.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
