Illegal immigration? “Conservative Party is united in wanting to stop boats”

“O Conservative Party is absolutely united in wanting to stop the boats”declared during a press conference this morning.

However, he also considers it “understandable that people have strong opinions and want to do everything they can to solve this problem.”

“We must debate this issue because people are frustrated and have strong convictions,” he said.

The new bill to deport illegal immigrants from the United Kingdom to Rwanda was approved on Wednesday night in the House of Commons, despite threats from dozens of MPs from the right wing of the Conservative party itself to vote against it.

This group wanted to tighten the text to prevent legal appeals from immigrants and completely block interference by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

In the end, 11 defied the voting discipline imposed by the prime minister, including former Interior Minister Suela Braverman, and 18 abstained.

The bill passed with 320 votes in favor and 276 against, most of them from the opposition.

Although Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Executive has an absolute majority, it would be enough for 30 of his deputies to vote together with the opposition against the text for it to be rejected.

The text now goes to the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament, where it may be subject to further amendment proposals and objections before returning to the House of Commons.

The process could take several months until promulgation.

Several British media outlets, including Sky News, reported that some MPs had called for an internal motion of censure in the Conservative Party, which can only be called if the minimum of 53 is reached.

Sunak argued today that “the alternative is to go back to the beginning” and claimed that the plan to create this policy as a deterrent to illegal immigration “is already working”.

The Government indicated that the total number of people arriving in 2023 on boats decreased by 36% to 29,437 compared to the 45,774 registered in 2022.

Weather conditions contributed to a reduction in movement, but despite the negative temperatures, 358 people risked the crossing on Wednesday in eight inflatable boats, the highest figure since the beginning of December.

Sunak did not commit today to a date for the start of deportation flights to Rwanda, but added that operational preparations were already underway.

“I want to see this happen as quickly as possible (…). We are also frustrated and fed up,” he said.

“We are working as quickly as possible and now it is up to the House of Lords to understand the country’s frustrations, see the will of the elected chamber and act quickly to approve this legislation so it can be enacted and we can launch flights”, he added.

Read Also: Law to deport immigrants to Rwanda survives revolt