Sunak has accepted that he may not be able to stop the small boat crossings by the next general election, citing the ‘complexity of the issue’.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been forced to accept that he might not be able to ‘stop the boats’ by the election, which was one of his key pledges when he came to office.
The Tories have sought to scapegoat migrants and refugees in a bid to deflect from their failings in office. The government had also tried to make the issue of Channel crossings a wedge issue by launching ‘small boats week’ earlier this month.
However, that campaign backfired, with a record number of crossings and the evacuation, due to a health scare, of the Bibby Stockholm barge used to house migrants.
Now Sunak has accepted that he may not be able to stop the small boat crossings by the next general election, citing the ‘complexity of the issue’.
Sunak told broadcasters: “One of my five priorities is to stop the boats. The current system is both unsustainable and is completely unfair, but particularly unfair on British taxpayers who are forking out millions of pounds to house illegal migrants in hotels and local communities.
“That’s not right. We’ve got to put a stop to that. And we’re working on it.
“It’s not an easy problem to fix. I never said we would be able to solve it overnight. It will take time and we have to attack it from lots of different ways. But I am pleased that the number of illegal migrants crossing this year is down for the first time in some years.
“That shows that our plans are working, but of course there’s still more to do and people should know I am determined to grip this problem, and that’s why one of my five priorities is to stop the boats.”
Pressed again on whether it will be done by the next election, he said: “I want it to be done as soon as possible, but I also want to be honest with people that it is a complex problem. There is not one simple solution and it can’t be solved overnight and I wouldn’t be being straight with people if I said that was possible.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.