Every day brings news of another record being smashed, with only bad weather and wind getting in the way.
Yet far from cheering a new daily record, Britons are in despair about the waves of illegal migrants crossing the Channel. “Smash the Gangs” has become “Smash the Records”.
With one day having seen over 700 migrants arrive on our shores, the modern-day King Canute, Mike Tapp (Labour’s voice in Dover) headed down to the harbourside to say something about new legislation giving anti-terror powers not yet being in effect……. He might as well have dressed up in a purple robe and ordered the tide back for all the good that will do.
As projections suggest small boat arrivals could top 60,000 this year, Labour MPs will now be questioning why their party did not draw up a more comprehensive plan before the election, rather than just come up with a catchy slogan.
Labour needs to urgently bring forward some real ideas, not just repeat previous slogans. This means Labour Ministers are thinking what would have been the unthinkable (for them) a year ago to try and head off a summer disaster: Sending some small boats arrivals to a third country.
Smash the gangs or smash the records? Britain’s border farce continues - Kevin Foster
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News Labour have sought UNHCR backing for a plan to establish what they call “Migrant Hubs”, like Italy’s agreement with Albania, indicates their thinking is changing. The plan could see failed asylum seekers, who have exhausted all appeals, transferred to a third country if they cannot be returned home.
Whilst no country has been named as a “hub”, the Western Balkans is likely to be the location.
Some have compared this plan to the Rwanda Plan, yet there are some key differences. The crucial one is it would only apply to those who had not only had their asylum claim rejected but had also exhausted all appeals.
This means plenty of chances for the human rights lawyers to drag things out before a small boat migrant is even listed for a flight to a migrant hub and a child’s ECHR right to a preferred chicken nugget can be raised!
The next issue is the grant rate for some nationalities.
With a grant rate of over 90% for asylum claims from Afghan nationals and high grant rates for other nations commonly arriving by small boat, they won’t be deterred by the Migrant Hub plan.
Labour are starting to think very differently about immigration.
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This is why the Rwanda Plan was a third country agreement in the Australian model, where those claiming they had travelled to the UK purely for safety, despite spurning the chance to claim asylum in other safe European countries, could also be transferred to a third country which would meet this need.
Without this aspect the link between paying a smuggler and getting to the UK remains, claims “Safe and Legal Routes” could operate to stop this fall away when you realise the UK cannot possibly offer every one of the displaced millions across the world a home.
Finally, the removal to a hub raises questions as it appears temporary until someone can be removed home. What length of time is this likely to be for war-torn Syria? The Rwanda Plan made clear the person was being resettled permanently in a safe country. If there is a time limit, what happens when it expires? They almost certainly come back to the UK.
The migrant hub plan is a sign Labour Ministers are starting to think very differently on immigration. Yet too many Labour MPs still don’t see that hard choices, not easy rhetoric, is needed to solve the Small Boats Crisis.
