Illegal immigration undermines UK values

The UK is a great place to live. We all benefit from our beautiful landscape, our schools and other public services, as well as our rich cultural life.

We are open and tolerant. Over the decades, we have offered our homes as a refuge for so many people seeking refuge in war zones. I am especially proud of how we have housed more than 182,000 Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s aggression and evacuated more than 25,000 Afghans from Kabul so they can build a new life here.

Overall, more than half a million people have arrived in the UK via our safe and legal humanitarian routes, which include our resettlement schemes in Ukraine and Afghanistan. Our generosity to those in need is clear and complete.

And yet, people continue to try to make the dangerous illegal journey across the English Channel. They do so in dangerously small boats organized by vile human trafficking gangs who exploit them for quick bucks.
Men, women and children have died making this journey. We must stop this illegal and harmful trade, which is why this government is putting everything it can into the problem.

First, we’ve made sure our new laws to address illegal immigration are tough but fair. In Britain, we support those who follow the rules. The Royal Sanction of the Illegal Migration Law will allow us to do exactly that. Those who come to the UK illegally will not be able to stay. If you enter our country, you will not have the same rights and privileges as those who follow the rules.

Second, we must work with all our international partners to make sure these crossings are stopped before they even start.
Look at the work the Prime Minister has done with the Albanian government and how successful he has been in stopping Albanians from making these dangerous journeys.

Today, Albanian small boat arrivals are down 90 percent compared to last year. Since December, we have returned more than 2,898 illegal immigrants and criminal Albanians on weekly flights.

But there is more we can do. Over the next few weeks, this Government will intensify work with other countries to ensure that we deter people from wanting to start this dangerous journey in the first place.

And lastly, our processing of those who now cross must be swift and fair. We have an obligation to provide safe and secure accommodation, but this does not mean expensive hotels. We cannot commit the taxpayer to endlessly paying the hotel bill at a cost of £6 million a day.

Other countries have used barges, why not us? In fact, the Bibby Stockholm that is causing so much alarm to left-wing activists has been used to safely house immigrants by the German government before us.
So we don’t hear their howls of outrage.

This Government has made stopping the boats one of our top five priorities because these crossings undermine the values ​​of equity on which our society is built. It’s an issue that matters enormously to people in this country.

The Labor Party and its affiliated unions and activist groups are determined to thwart our efforts at all times.
They do it because deep down they have no desire to stop the ships. They just want to play politics by attacking the government.

Oliver Dowden is Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office