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British Prime Minister Sunak at a press conference in Dover, southern England: "Stop the boats"
Photo: IMAGO/James Veysey/Shutterstock / IMAGO/Avalon.red
The British government is once again relying on unusual measures in its quest to curb migration to the island. Despite international criticism, the country now wants to temporarily accommodate even more people on ships.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in Dover that he would purchase two more barges and accommodate a total of 1000,<> people there. A first barge will soon anchor off the southern English port of Portland. "With courage and determination, the government can solve this problem," Sunak said. "And we use every tool at our disposal." The accommodation on ships is intended to reduce the mass rental of hotel rooms for those seeking protection.
Tightening of asylum laws
Sunak's government is under pressure because tens of thousands of asylum applications are still pending with British authorities and 7600 migrants have already reached the country across the English Channel this year alone. Sunak promises to "stop the boats" and points out that the number of arrivals has already fallen by 20 percent in recent months.
The prime minister is relying above all on agreements with other states and stricter asylum laws. In Dover, he referred, among other things, to an agreement with Albania that allows more migrants to be repatriated from the country.
According to critics, Sunak's plans are tantamount to a ban on asylum: Anyone who arrives in the UK via undesirable routes should be detained and deported as quickly as possible to Rwanda or another country considered safe – regardless of refugee status.
Observers also pointed out that the decline could also be due to bad weather and that more people usually make the dangerous crossing in the summer months.
fek/dpa/Reuters