By Ben Bloch, politics reporter
We have been reporting in recent months the many setbacks the government is experiencing in meeting one of Rishi Sunak’s five pledges – to “stop the boats” crossing the Channel.
So let’s step back for a moment – what policies are the government implementing, and how successful have they been?
Illegal Migration Bill
This legislation – that aims to act as a deterrent – has been one area in which ministers have been successful – the Illegal Migration Bill (eventually) passed both Houses of Parliament and became law last month.
The bill:
- Makes anyone arriving in the UK illegally ineligible to claim asylum;
- Gives the home secretary the duty to remove illegal immigrants to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda (we’ll come back to that);
- Bans illegal migrants from returning to the UK in the future;
- Limits legal routes for appeal against a removal order.
It did not sail smoothly through parliament, with ministers forced to make a number of concessions, and there remains significant discomfort on both sides of the chamber over the limits imposed on modern slavery claims and the treatment of children.
Rwanda
The policy of deporting illegal migrants to Rwanda was first proposed in April last year by former home secretary Priti Patel – and not one person has yet been sent there.
The plan is that under the Illegal Migration Bill, asylum seekers would be removed to Rwanda if they couldn’t be sent to their country of origin to potentially be granted refugee status to stay in Rwanda, or be able to claim asylum in a “safe third country”.
The plans have been challenged in the courts numerous times, with a flight that was practically ready to take off from UK soil grounded, and although the High Court eventually ruled the plan legal in December last year, that was overturned by the Court of Appeal in June.
The government is appealing to the Supreme Court – but it is unclear if or when a flight might actually take off.
Bibby Stockholm and barges
Another element of the government’s plans is to move asylum seekers out of pricey hotels and on to barges in ports around the UK in a bid to dissuade people from making the perilous journey across the Channel.
One barge – the Bibby Stockholm – docked in Portland Port in Dorset last month after a delay of a month. It was set to welcome its first 50 residents last month, but there have been a number of delays due to safety concerns.
The first 15 people boarded the Bibby Stockholm yesterday, but even when 500 people eventually live on board, it will be a drop in the bucket as the asylum backlog remains vast.
Two other barges were meant to house asylum seekers, but Sky News also revealed they were not allowed to dock in a British port and have been returned to the companies that own them.
So it’s fair to say that although the government is making progress, this part of the plan has also not been successful – yet.
Disused military bases and tents
The other key element of the government’s plans is to house asylum seekers on disused military bases and in marquees on those sites to reduce hotel use.
Despite opposition from every community near one of the proposed bases, the government has made progress and 46 asylum seekers were moved into the Wethersfield airbase in north Essex last month.
However, the local council has been granted a judicial review, as has West Lindsey district council, over the plans to move people into the RAF Scampton site in Lincolnshire.
So although ministers have managed to house some people on a disused base, it’s fair to say this has also not been successful as of yet.