Through safe and legal routes from all over the world, the Government has welcomed 480,000 people in need of protection since 2015. Folk across North Northumberland are proudly amongst the kindest and most generous in the country, but still believe firmly in following the rules, keeping control of our border security, and thinking carefully about the resources British taxpayers have to share.
Yesterday our Safety of Rwanda Act received Royal Assent, meaning we can now get flights off the ground to Rwanda as we stick to our plan to stop the boats.
The Safety of Rwanda Act means the Government can now start the process of sending flights of illegal migrants to Rwanda, making clear that if you come to the UK illegally, you will not be able to stay. The Act will prevent people abusing the law by using false human rights claims to block removals and makes clear that the UK Parliament is sovereign, giving government the power to reject interim blocking measures imposed by European courts.
Some Key Facts:
- Through safe and legal routes, 480,000 people in need of protection have been welcomed to Britain from all over the world since 2015
- Small boat arrivals fell by a third in 2023 – but that is not enough
- Labour voted against tougher measures to tackle illegal immigration 139 times and voted to block, delay or weaken our plan to stop the boats 126 times
- 246 people smugglers arrested in 2023
- More than 24,000 people have been deported
- 112,138 asylum cases processed last year
- 100 asylum hotels closed by the end of March 2024
- Albanian arrivals fell by 90% in 2023, following UK cooperation with Albania and hard-hitting Albanian language adverts
The Government's focus now is to get flights off the ground. We will send the first flight to Rwanda in 10 – 12 weeks, with multiple flights every month until the boats are stopped.
Keir Starmer and the Labour Party did everything they could to block our Rwanda plan – voting against measures to stop the boats over 100 times in Parliament – and would scrap the Rwanda plan without any alternative of their own, taking us back to square one. Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a plan to stop the boats and nothing will stand in our way of doing that.
Image: Cabinet Minister Portraits. Anne-Marie Trevelyan. 10 Downing Street. by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
