UK plans law to prevent asylum claims by small boat arrivals

BLOOMBERG

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government plans new laws to prevent people who enter the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, as it looks for ways to halt a record influx of migrants crossing the English Channel.
Discussing legislation expected to be introduced this week, Chris Heaton-Harris, secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said more options could be provided to would-be migrants, while offering little detail in interviews on Sky News and BBC on Sunday.
“The legislation is very black and white,” Heaton-Harris said on Sky. “If you come to the country illegally, you can’t claim asylum.”
Sunak has said that stopping asylum seekers from making their way to the UK in small vessels — often inflatable boats, dinghies or kayaks — is one of his top priorities. The craft are typically launched from France, and Sunak is expected to discuss the situation when he meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday.
“Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally, and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade,” Sunak told the Sunday Express newspaper. “If you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.”
While the UK government already has a law on the books to deal with the small boat crisis, Heaton-Harris said more is needed to counter the stress that increased illegal migration is having on communities in the UK.