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The prime minister has vowed to “take back control” of Britain’s borders in an “overburdened” asylum system.
At tonight’s press conference, Rishi Sunak spoke from behind a podium with the words “STOP LODZI” on a red background.
He said the current situation on Britain’s shores was neither “moral nor sustainable” and was “unfair to people who have opened their homes to genuine refugees”.
Mr. Sunak added that there is no “golden formula” to solve a “complex problem”.
The Prime Minister’s incredibly gentle tone quickly caught the attention of those watching the press conference live.
On Twitter, Graeme Strachan wrote: “Rishi Sunak looks like he should be reading a CBeebies bedtime story.”
Ellwyn Male added: “Rishi Sunak casually explains how he plans to break international law in the tone of a health and safety training video.”
Fiona Lynne Morgan tweeted: “Time for a Z story #RishiSunak Again.’
This is not the first time that one of his speeches has been mocked on the Internet.
Mr Sunak spoke tonight following the announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill, which has already received a response from various charities.
The bill will push “the boundaries of international law,” Suella Braverman told the Daily Express.
The legislation is likely to get a rough ride in the House of Lords as the upper house considers whether to change the legislation.
If the government does not accept the changes, long jostling may delay implementation.
In the House of Commons, Ms Braverman said today: “The need for reform is clear and urgent.”
She added: “They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter the UK illegally you will be detained and removed quickly.”
Patrick Ryan, chief executive of leading modern slavery charity Hestia, said today: “We need to be tougher on organized criminals who exploit vulnerable people, not victims.”
While visiting the Home Office Joint Control Center in Dover today, Mr Sunak was shown the boat that was intercepted by Border Force personnel on Sunday.
Staff gave him a card believed to have been given to migrants by people smugglers, with a number to contact when they reached the halfway point of their cross-Channel journey.
He was then shown a surveillance drone used to transmit live video and was taken to a van used as a mobile operational vehicle to monitor movements at sea.
“Boat Stop” was Mr. Sunak’s key promise since he was handed the keys to No. 10.
More than 45,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK from mainland Europe in 2022.
He takes a tough stance on immigration and made increasing migratory crossings one of his top five priorities when he took office.
He recently told Piers Morgan of TalkTV that illegal immigrants “will not be able to stay here.”
He said: “So this new law says if you come here illegally, for an illegal immigrant here, then you can’t stay here.
“In fact, we will be able to detain you and then process your claim within a few days or weeks – not months or years – and we will be able (in the vast majority of cases) to send you to an alternative safe country – be it the country you are from if safe, such as Albania or Rwanda.”
![AMENDMENT / A demonstrator is temporarily detained by police during an anti-immigration protest march in Dover on the South East coast of England, March 4, 2023, while pro- and anti-immigrant demonstrations are taking place in the city. - More than 45,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK from mainland Europe in 2022, surpassing the previous year's record by more than 17,000. (Photo: Susannah Ireland / AFP) / Misspelling[s] in the metadata of this photo by Susannah Ireland have been modified by AFP systems as follows: [is temporary detained by police] instead [is arrested ]. Please remove the erroneous mention immediately[s] from all your online services and remove them from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute to (them) third parties, please ensure that the same activities are performed by them. Failure to follow these instructions promptly will result in liability on your part for continued use or upon notice. Therefore, thank you very much for all your attention and quick action. We apologize for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by SUSANNAH IRELAND/AFP via Getty Images)](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SEI_146806298-d19e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C346)
At his press conference tonight, Sunak said he was “ready to fight” any legal challenges to his plans to tackle the Channel crossing problem.
He said, “Of course we’re ready to fight, I wouldn’t be standing here if we weren’t.”
But we’re confident we’ll win.
“We believe we are acting in accordance with international law, under the ECHR, and if this is challenged, as you may be right, we have seen in these cases that we are challenged, we will fight so hard because we believe that ‘we are doing the right thing and it is consistent with our responsibilities.”
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