Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced plans to end “spurious” asylum claims and appeals to delay deportations. In a statement made on 13th December, Sunak said that not only the asylum system, but the country’s laws itself, needed fundamental reform. He said:
“We must control our borders to ensure that only people who come here come through safe and legal routes. However well intended, our legal frameworks are being manipulated by people who exploit our courts to frustrate their removal for months or years on end.”
“…and you will no longer be able to frustrate removal attempts with late or spurious claims or appeals. And once removed, you should have no right to re-entry, settlement, or citizenship.”
Sunak also confirmed that he would recommence flights to Rwanda once judicial review proceedings has concluded on the government’s Migrant and Economic Development Partnership.
Sunak has also aimed to raise the threshold for considered someone to be a modern slave; caseworkers will be required to show ‘objective evidence’ and not just suspicions.
It is unclear at this stage whether the new legislation will replace, work alongside, or be included in the proposed Bill of Rights Bill, currently awaiting its second reading at the House of Commons.