Migration Watch UK’s latest research has had a big impact in the press this week. This research paper shows that the UK is approving nearly three times as many of its asylum claims as France and double the European Union average.
This makes it clear just how generous the UK is to asylum seekers when compared with most of the rest of Europe. With over 45,000 people having crossed the Channel illegally in dinghies this year (see our Tracker), the massive backlog of those awaiting the outcome of their applications and the escalating mammoth cost of it all, the need to tackle illegal immigration and the UK’s absurdly lax asylum system is critical.
The paper received widespread coverage in the national press. You can read The Telegraph write-up here, watch our chairman Alp Mehmet’s interview with Times Radio here or Patrick Christys’ spirited discussion about the topic with Kelvin Mackenzie here.
Meanwhile, the government had some good news this week as the High Court ruled that the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed is legal. See our response here. This news will have been music to the ears of Home Secretaries past and present who have staked a good deal of political capital upon this plan.
Although it is a good first step, the Home Secretary and other ministers have warned that it may be some time before the Rwanda plan can resume. Will there be a further appeal to the Court of Appeal and then to the Supreme Court? Ultimately, will there be a further appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)? In any case, and as we have repeatedly said, Rwanda is not the final magic wand, it can only be part of an eventual solution. However, it is a positive and welcome step. While the value of the High Court decision is not to be underestimated, the government have yet many hurdles to overcome before the first plane leaves for Rwanda. The decision whether to allow an appeal of the ruling will take place on the 16th of January.
Should the plan be ruled unlawful in Strasbourg, the government will come under severe pressure to reconsider the role of the ECHR in the United Kingdom. As our Chairman Alp Mehmet warned in our response “Activist lawyers and the European Court of Human Rights cannot now be allowed to get away with thwarting the will of the British public…”
Popular Plan To Send Illegal Arrivals To Rwanda Would Stop Profits Going To Criminal Smugglers
The big question over the Rwanda Plan, of course, is will it work? Take a look at this blog which points out that successful offshore processing was a part of the solution for the Australian Government, which managed to stop the boats coming from 2013 despite 20,000 people arriving per year that way. Ultimately, discouraging illegal immigration through offshore processing helped them to break the business model of criminal smugglers.
MIGRATION WATCH IN THE NEWS
UK granting three times more asylum claims than France
This new paper was covered in a range of national newspapers, including The Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Daily Express. The Daily Mail touched on it in an editorial. For example, Alp was quoted in the Sun as saying:
“The UK is now an outlier, granting a much higher share of claims than most other European countries. It is time to take a leaf out of the French book. The public have had enough.”
It was also discussed on GB News separately by Patrick Christys here and Nigel Farage here. Alp was also interviewed by Times Radio here.
High Court rules Rwanda Plan legal
Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Live, our Chairman Alp Mehmet welcomed the decision as a step in the right direction. However, Alp warned that it remains to be seen if or when the process will be restarted.
Watch the discussion here.
Alp was also interviewed by TalkTV’s Mike Graham here and on GB News here.
You can also see our statement to the press here.
Cruise ships may be used to house asylum seekers
As it becomes increasingly difficult to find housing for asylum seekers, the possibility has emerged of the government using disused cruise ships for the purpose. Alp spoke to Talk TV’s David Bull about this here.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
The record of the government has not been good, to put it mildly. Repeated promises in election after election to legislate and tighten immigration rules and restore proper control were followed by legislation that made it easier for people in 80% of the world’s countries to come here for work. The study route has also been widened and loosened considerably, while family visas are being granted at record rates. Now we have immigration of over a million per year and net migration of over half a million – both at an all-time record. Alongside this, there is the deadly and worsening chaos in the English Channel. Please consider writing to your MP today to remind them of their promises to reduce immigration and control our borders.