Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new immigration strategy in the Commons, promising a 'Small Boats Operational Command' to tackle Channel crossings. The plan includes greater use of drones, more prosecutions of gang leaders, and data-sharing with banks to deny accounts to illegal immigrants. However, critics question how much is new, given existing operations and court delays.
The government aims to fast-track Albanian asylum claims, citing abuse of modern slavery rules by criminal gangs. Yet Albania has been on the safe country list since 2003, and Germany rejects almost all Albanian applicants. The Home Office faces a backlog of over 100,000 cases, with 37,000 people in hotels due to a lack of housing.
Sunak also pledged to detain and swiftly return arrivals to their home country or a third nation like Rwanda, but the Rwanda scheme remains in court, and no EU returns deal exists post-Brexit. The UN refugee agency warns the proposals could deny access to legal asylum processes.
The Windrush scandal looms over plans to share immigration data with banks, as past errors saw British citizens wrongly denied accounts and jobs. The Home Office says safeguards are in place, but a recent progress report warned the issue is unresolved.
