The UK will not accept illegal immigrant returns from the European Union via Ireland, the prime minister has said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told ITV News on Monday that he was “not interested” in a possible returns deal, after Irish ministers said they were drafting legislation to facilitate sending illegal immigrants who have crossed the border back to the UK.
Mr. Sunak said: “We’re not interested in that. We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from.”
“Of course, we’re not going to do that. I’m determined to get the Rwanda scheme up and running because I want a deterrent,” the prime minister continued.
Asked if he were interested in pursuing a reciprocal deal with the EU to send illegal immigrants back to France, the prime minister said: “No. I’m focused squarely on getting our Rwanda scheme up and running. I want this deterrent which will say that if you come to our country illegally, you will not be able to stay and you will be removed either to your own country, if it’s safe, or Rwanda.”
“That’s why I’ve worked so hard on this. That’s why we’ve done all the prep work for this and actually, I want that deterrent up and running and I’m confident that it will work,” he said.
Relationship With Ireland
Mr. Martin and the UK’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris met in London on Monday for a session of the British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC), at which they discussed the issue.Mr. Heaton-Harris said during a joint press conference that the British government would “monitor all this very closely and continue to work with the Irish government on these matters.”
Appearing to play down any conflict, he continued that there was “no way that we would want to upset our relationship with Ireland” and reaffirmed the countries’ “joint commitment to protect the common travel area from abuse.”
Last week, Ireland’s justice minister Helen McEntee claimed the number of recent illegal immigrants crossing from Northern Ireland was “higher than 80 percent.”
During the Westminster press conference, Mr. Martin appeared to challenge that assertion, saying that while it was “clear from the presentation of migrants” that there was a change in where they had come from, the 80 percent figure was “not statistical” or evidence-based.
Speaking to journalists at the BIIGC, Mr. Martin said: “On the 80 percent and the evidence: Over a while, I think the Department of Justice officials would say—and it’s not statistical, it’s not a database or evidence base—but it is very clear from the presentations of migrants that there’s a change in the nature of where migrants have come from, and that’s the sense and the perspective that Justice have on this.”
He continued: “Increasingly over the last year or two, there’s been a shift. If you remember, all the earlier commentary was on people coming in on planes without documentation and so on.
“That has lessened somewhat and there’s been a switch in terms of the pattern of migration, that’s the sense from our Justice officials.”
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said it was “way too premature” to determine whether the Rwanda plan was working.
Mr. Lammy told LBC: “I suspect, actually, as the weather warms up we will see this scheme, I’m afraid, has not deterred many, many people from crossing the Channel.”
“I think it’s way too premature to say now that we’ve seen a few people go to Dublin somehow this has been achieved. That’s just not going to be the case,” he said.
