U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped the previous government’s Rwanda offshore processing scheme, which has certainly only encouraged more boats to come.
More than 700 illegal immigrants crossed the English Channel from France to the U.K. on Sunday as the new left-wing government in Westminster struggles to contain the long-running crisis.
Home Office figures released on Monday revealed a total of 703 migrants were escorted to British shores, a new record since Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour Party took office last month.
The figure is the third-highest daily total this year, with illegal immigration showing no signs of slowing down under the new administration.
??‼️ A total of 703 migrants were escorted to shore by U.K. border police on Sunday — a record in a single day under the new left-wing government.
With Keir Starmer scrapping legislation by the previous Conservative government to deport all new arrivals for offshore processing,… pic.twitter.com/Bx3dsvWWh8
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 12, 2024
Illegal immigration and asylum are at the forefront of the political debate in Britain currently and were key issues during the general election campaign.
The left-wing Labour Party pledged to scrap the former Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme, which would have seen all migrants who arrive illegally in Britain deported to the African country for offshore asylum processing — a policy former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hoped would deter migrants from making the perilous journey across the waterway and thwart the criminal gangs exploiting the crisis.
Starmer scrapped the scheme in his first few hours in Downing Street, a move that has certainly not helped stop the boats.
Since the start of the year, 18,342 asylum seekers have been registered arriving on British shores, a 13 percent increase over the same period last year. So far this year, 25 people have died during the dangerous crossing.
NEW: ??? Immigration is now the number one issue in Britain.
More than half of Brits (51 percent) put immigration in their top three issues facing the country in a recent YouGov poll.
The economy dropped to second with 44 percent, while crime shot up to third with 39 percent… pic.twitter.com/WXQ897XUJv
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 7, 2024
Mass immigration and a lack of integration have dominated political discourse in Britain recently following the mass stabbing of young girls at a dance class in the northwest town of Southport by a 17-year-old son of two Rwandan asylum seekers last month.
The attack led to mass rioting across the country and a controversial crackdown on free speech by Starmer’s party with dozens of people consequently jailed for posting comments about mass immigration that were deemed to have incited racial hatred.
