“I promised to do everything in my power to stop the boats, and I’ve delivered on that” Rachel has said after the Safety of Rwanda Bill finally completed its passage through Parliament.
The Bill’s passing means the Government can now plan to get the planes to Rwanda into the air, ultimately saving lives at sea.
She expects that the first flight to Rwanda can be take-off within 10-12 weeks, with multiple flights set to take off after this.
The landmark legislation means that going forward, Rwanda is legally a safe country for the purposes of relocating people, including in UK courts and tribunals.
It means that our elected Parliament and our courts, not foreign courts or foreign judges, can decide who comes to our country.
Rachel said: “Finally the Bill has passed and we can get on with relocating people who have come here illegally to Rwanda, a safe third country.
“People often ask me why we can’t stop the boats in the Channel or send them straight back to France. If it was that simple, the Government would have acted in this way long ago.
“The reality is that if you send people back to France they will simply try to come again. They don’t want to be in France – they have paid thousands of pounds to smuggling gangs to get them out of France. We all know that people will try again and again to get to our shores.
“France doesn’t want them either. While we work closely with the French – and our joint working has reduced the number of people setting off from French shores, the French don’t want them there permanently, and argue they have taken their fair share. We can’t force the French to take people they don’t want.
The UK’s joint working with the French is making a difference; the number of people arriving by small boat in 2023 was a third lower than 2022. Last year, 26,000 people were prevented and returned to France by the French authorities.
“People also challenge why we don’t get the Royal Navy or Border Force out to turn them back,” Rachel added.
“Again, this misses the practicalities of a situation in a dangerous sea lane. People are desperate to come to the UK. They will throw themselves into the waters or destroy the boats at sea in order to be rescued. Neither the Royal Navy nor I nor anyone in this country would expect us to stand by and watch people who have thrown themselves into the sea drown right in front of them. As anyone who has been on a boat will know, international laws of the sea apply - the first duty under maritime law is to rescue the person from the waters. Regardless of who they are.
“That is why, despite what commentators say, the only sustainable solution to tackle the global migration crisis is to have a strong deterrent, which is what the third country Rwanda plan is all about. The alternatives are unworkable or ineffective.
“The most compassionate thing we can to do help those desperate people whose lives are at risk is to stop them making the crossing in the first place.
“We have long needed this strong deterrent which is why I have backed this tough legislation at every stage. It’s also a promise I made to my constituents and I’ve delivered on that promise.
“We will now be able to stop the boats – not only the right thing to do because we must tackle illegal migration, but also the most compassionate thing we can do in order to stop perilous journeys being made across the English Channel.
“Our Parliament is sovereign and it is our Government, elected by you, who will decide who can and who can’t enter our country and not criminal gangs.
“It’s evident that it is only the Conservative Government who have a plan to deal with the global migration crisis. Labour and the other political parties have no idea how to tackle it.”
