Priti Patel today promised new routes for women and children in “appalling camps” overseas to be brought to Britain as critics warned that her plans to overhaul the asylum system will fail to stop migrants risking their lives crossing the Channel.
The Home Secretary said she wanted to stop families stuck in “desperate parts of the world” who are unwilling to put themselves in danger from being “elbowed aside” by young men who will pay people traffickers to smuggle them into the UK via lorries or small boats.
She also insisted that other European countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Belgium, had a “moral duty” to give sanctuary to migrants rather than allowing them to pass through to attempt illegal entry to Britain.
Ms Patel’s comments on Wednesday came as charities and opposition politicians lashed out over her plan to introduce a “two tier” asylum system as part of an overhaul being unveiled in Parliament today. Under the proposals, migrants brought in from overseas via official schemes will be given an immediate permanent right to remain in Britain.
But those who enter unlawfully will be stripped of the right to benefits and be held in reception centres while their claims are assessed. Even if their application succeeds, they will only be given a temporary right to stay and face regular reassessments to determine if it has become possible to remove them.
The aim is to deter migrants from travelling to the Channel to attempt illegal crossings organised by people traffickers and follows a surge in small boat crossings last year.
Evening Standard
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