Britain to seek EU deals on illegal migration as it prepares to ban those arriving on ‘small boats’

The British government is eyeing further co-operation with the European Union to help it implement tough new laws on migration that will be unveiled on Tuesday.

Suella Braverman, the home secretary, will introduce to the House of Commons a Bill giving powers to quickly deport migrants who arrive via illegal routes, such as on inflatable dinghies from France. The Illegal Immigration Bill is also expected to include a lifetime ban for illegal migrants, who also would be prevented from applying for British citizenship.

The crackdown is aimed at tackling a sharp increase in “small boat” migrant crossings from France to the Kent coast in the southeast of England. More than 45,700 such migrants arrived last year, up from 28,500 in 2021 and less than 2,000 in 2019. About 3,000 have arrived so far this year. The issue is of high concern for British voters and prime minister Rishi Sunak has made combating it one of his top priorities.

Smuggler gangs

The proposed crackdown has been criticised as “unworkable” by charities that help migrants, while trade union leaders representing border staff also warned that the plan may be impossible to implement and could lead to a surge in migrant crossings in advance of its introduction.

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“The [smuggler] gangs will tell people ‘quick, cross now before anything changes’,” said Lucy Moreton, an official with the Immigration Services Union.

Elements of the plan have been widely trailed by senior ministers in recent weeks. Grant Shapps, the energy secretary, last month said migrants who arrive illegally should have “no rights”. Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, said at the weekend illegal migrants will be “returned very quickly”. The upcoming legislation, he said, will be “black and white”.

Mr Sunak, meanwhile, told the Mail on Sunday that “make no mistake — if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay”.

Rwanda option

Critics of the proposals say the new measures cannot be properly implemented because Britain will have nowhere to send illegal migrants, many of whom come from conflict zones such as Eritrea and Syria. A plan to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, under an agreement with the government there, is tied up in the court of Appeal. Opponents claim it is illegal under international law, although Britain’s High Court rejected the plan.

Britain has a backlog of 160,000 asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their applications. Groups working with migrants say the government has no room in immigration facilities to house those who would be picked up in a fresh crackdown.

The lack of capacity in the system and stalled Rwanda proposal means the government could seek deportation deals with the European Union countries through which many migrants pass on their way to Britain. George Freeman, a science minister, said on Monday that Britain had reached a “fantastic agreement” with the EU recently on Northern Ireland and “the same approach … can achieve success” with a future deal on migration.

Mr Sunak is due in Paris on Friday, where he will meet French president Emmanuel Macron to discuss a range of issues, including migration.