More than 100,000 individuals have arrived in the UK by small boat following the enactment of Suella Braverman’s legislation to halt Channel crossings, as per the most recent data.
Braverman, a former Home Secretary and current prominent member of Nigel Farage’s team, presented the Illegal Migration Act in the House of Commons in 2023 with the intention of curbing the influx of boats. However, recent analysis by The Mirror has revealed that the number of arrivals has surpassed 100,000 despite her assurances.
Since the Illegal Migration Act received royal assent on July 20, 2023, a total of 100,673 people have successfully made the perilous journey across the Channel to reach the UK. This figure represents more than half of the 200,000 individuals who have arrived in the UK via small boats since 2018. Braverman introduced the legislation after her predecessor, Priti Patel’s Nationalities and Borders Act, failed to deter the crossings.
Labour MP Luke Charters criticized Braverman, labeling the situation as “Suella Braverman’s small boats crisis,” and highlighting her tenure as Tory Home Secretary as marked by performative cruelty but overall ineffectiveness. He pointed out the irony of right-wing parties intensifying rhetoric on the issue while neglecting their past responsibilities in contributing to the problem.
The introduction of the Illegal Migration Bill by Braverman in March 2023 aimed to fulfill Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise of detaining and swiftly removing individuals entering the country illegally. The bill prohibited individuals arriving by small boat after March 7, 2023, from seeking asylum in the UK, resulting in a decline in Home Office decision-making as many individuals remained stranded in hotels.
Between March 7 and the general election on July 4 of the following year, 39,861 people arrived in the UK by small boat, with 28,649 arrivals occurring post the passage of Braverman’s act. Jo White, chair of Labour’s Red Wall Caucus, highlighted the challenges inherited by Labour in addressing the issue of people smuggling gangs rapidly transporting individuals into the country.
Following the general election, former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper lifted the ban on small boat arrivals claiming asylum, citing the accumulation of a significant backlog. Labour’s Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Act, enacted in December of the same year, repealed sections of Braverman’s legislation.
Current Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has emphasized the urgency for the Government to address small boat crossings to prevent potential dismantling of the asylum system by Reform. Various measures have been proposed to deter crossings, including regular reviews of refugee status and expedited removal of families with children in case of rejected asylum claims. Collaboration with France has been strengthened with additional policing efforts and the establishment of a new detention center in Dunkirk for repatriating intercepted migrants.
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, expressed the party’s commitment to not only halting but reversing the influx of illegal migrants in Britain, emphasizing the restoration of law and order. Mahmood has pledged to introduce more safe routes as campaigners stress the importance of providing safer alternatives to prevent tragedies and loss of lives during dangerous journeys.