UK PM Sunak says those arriving illegally will not be allowed to stay

The United Kingdom faces record numbers of migrants arriving in the country on small boats. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that those who come to the UK through illegal means would be prevented from staying in the country.

In an interview published on Sunday by the Daily Mail, Sunak said those who arrive in the UK illegally will be prevented from staying. The issue of immigration has dogged the Conservative leader and lawmakers under his party have also pressured him to address the issue of migrants crossing the English Channel to enter the country. Sunak made stopping the journey of migrant boats one of his top five priorities.

“Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay,” said Sunak in the interview. In the current practice, asylum seekers who reach the UK are still able to remain to have their cases heard.

New legislation to address immigration is set to be introduced on Tuesday after 45,000 migrants arrived in the country on small boats last year. Official data showed that asylum applications in the UK fall below the European Union average.

Last year, Sunak’s predecessor Boris Johnson agreed to a deal to send tens of thousands of migrants to Rwanda. The policy has since been caught up in a legal battle after the first deportation flight was blocked last minute by the European Court of Human Rights. In December, London’s high court ruled that the policy was lawful, but those challenging the policy are filing an appeal.

The outlet also reported that the new legislation would make migrants who arrived in the country on small boats ineligible to claim asylum, and they would be removed and permanently barred from returning.

Aside from migrant crossings, the UK is also faced with surges of strikes from key sectors which have all demanded better pay and working conditions. The Unite trade union said on Sunday that it has suspended ambulance worker strikes that were set to happen on March 6 and March 8 as it will go into pay talks with the government.

Unite’s announcement follows a similar move by two other trade unions representing ambulance workers on Friday last week, pausing planned strikes to enter negotiations.