Cherilyn Mackrory MP for Truro and Falmouth this week applauds the announcement from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the government have successfully hit their asylum backlog target throughout 2023.
This target represents part of the governments wider commitment to reducing illegal migration to the UK and to stop the boats which the Prime Minister highlighted among his five key pledges to the British public at the start of 2023. Illegal migration including boat crossings represents a serious threat to the UK, undermining border security, and placing substantial pressure on local services and communities. It is a dangerous and amoral practice perpetrated by people smugglers and criminal gangs which costs lives.
The backlog represents those who have made the dangerous and illegal crossing to the UK and were awaiting processing. Many of these have been housed temporarily in hotels across the UK whilst their asylum claims are processed.
In 2023 the government cleared over 112,000 asylum cases. This has allowed for tens of thousands of individuals to be identified who have no right to stay in the UK, which has enabled 50 hotels which were requisitioned to house migrants to be returned to their original purpose.
By increasing the speed and efficiency of the asylum process, more individuals who have arrived illegally can be identified and removed from the UK whilst those with a genuine right to remain can be processed into society. This means that new arrivals can more quickly be processed, helping to reinforce government deterrents to illegal migration, as well as easing the burden on the taxpayer.
Cherilyn said:
“I commend the success of the government’s commitment to reducing the asylum backlog. The dangerous and illegal practice of people smuggling into the UK stresses our economy and our local services, and costs people’s lives. It is all too easy as well for the most vulnerable to face exploitation whilst they wait for their claims to be processed.
“We are making progress to cut the backlog, to remove illegal migrants to a safe third country, and towards ending small boat crossings. I fully support the hard work the government are doing. By clearing the backlog we can protect the vulnerable, remove those who do not have a right to be here, ease the pressure faced by our communities, and save lives.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“When I committed to stopping the boats, I meant it. Express readers and the wider British public are reasonable, generous, hard-working people - people who want to help the most vulnerable but also want to ensure we can support those already on our shores and keep our country safe.
“But there is nothing reasonable or generous about allowing illegal migration. It risks lives, undermines our border security and places unacceptable pressures on our public services and communities.
“That is why we will ensure it is this Government – not people smuggling gangs – who decide who comes to the UK and stop the flow of small boats coming across the Channel.
“And our plan is working. The UK is defying trends across mainland Europe – where sea crossings are up 80% – by seeing small boat arrivals fall for the first time since this phenomenon began, with arrivals down 36% year on year.
“When people know that coming to the UK illegally will result in swift removal to a safe third country, they will stop making the dangerous journey and the smugglers’ business model will be broken.
“So, as we go into 2024, we do so resolute on stopping people traffickers from costing lives, deterring opportunists from trying to take advantage of what our country has to offer, and determined to get flights off the ground for Rwanda.”