Emma Lewell MP: Under this Labour Government, small boat arrivals have fallen to a six-year low
“Stop the Boats”, has become a commonly used phrase but there is so much misinformation surrounding it.
It is broader international law, rather than the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) alone, that governs the UK's response to this crisis.
The law does not require asylum seekers to seek sanctuary in the first safe country they arrive in. That is why international co-operation is key.
A person arriving by small boat, seeking asylum on the fear that they could face persecution, harm or death if returned to their home country, cannot be returned to that country until their claim has been processed.
Their claim will be either be approved granting legal status to remain or rejected and they will be removed. Asylum seekers are not eligible for mainstream benefits or social hosing.
In 2024, when Labour came to power, the Tories’ poor handling of this crisis had cost the taxpayer billions.
The arrival of small boats across The Channel reached record levels, the backlog in asylum claims was over 85,000. Hotel use was costing the taxpayer £6million per day, and the Tories’ Rwanda plan had resulted in zero deportations but had cost us £700million.
Under this Labour Government, small boat arrivals have fallen to a six-year low. Over 78,000 people were returned from the UK – a 52% increase compared with the last two years of the Tory Government. Asylum decision-making has increased, and the backlog is down. Almost 50,000 people with no right to be here have been removed and we are closing asylum hotels.
We have returned over 11,000 foreign national offenders, arrests for illegal working have increased by 51% and over 6,000 people who originally arrived in the UK via small boats have been returned.
The history of the world shows people moving from one place to another, seeking sanctuary and safety. When it comes to those seeking asylum, it is right that we remain a country that gives refuge to those who are fleeing peril and it is right that those who have no legal right to remain here are returned. That is what this Government is doing.