British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is chalking up a deal with Italy to stem the flow of migrants, crossing the Mediterranean and return them to North Africa, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Sunak dispatched Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, the UK’s most senior civil servant, to Italy in mid-June for two days of meeting with top government officials to hammer out the deal.
“The Cabinet Secretary was in Rome meeting senior-level Italian officials and ministers to discuss how we can cooperate more closely on tackling illegal migration. This is a key priority for the Prime Minister and the British people so it is right that we work hand-in-glove with our international partners,” a government source was quoted as saying by the publication.
“If we are going to be successful in tackling illegal migration we have got to deal with the issue at source as well as focus on small boats,” added the source.
In April, the two European nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to tackle the illegal migration crisis under the “Strategic Migration Partnership”.
We will detain you: Sunak to illegal migrants
At the start of the year, Sunak, amid much pomp laid out five pledges for 2023 – of which one was to stop migrants from entering the UK illegally. Afterwards, Home Secretary Suella Braverman tabled the Illegal Migration Bill before the House of Commons. At the time, Sunak issued an ultimatum to illegal migrants crossing the English Channel.
“Stopping the boats is not just my priority, it’s the people’s priority. Our position is clear, if you arrive here illegally you will not be able to claim asylum,” said Sunak.
However, a month later, Sunak’s enthusiasm appeared to take a hit as he said his plan to stop small boats crossing the Channel “won’t happen overnight”. He also pushed the timeline to achieve his goals beyond the general elections.
However, the proposal has been entangled in legal troubles, ever since its inception. Earlier this week, a three-judge panel at the Court of Appeal blocked the plan saying there was a real risk asylum seekers relocated to Rwanda would be wrongly returned to their home countries.
After the judgement, Sunak put up a brave face and said he was “positive” about the prospect of overturning the judgment. Despite Sunak’s optimism, the decision came as a blow to his party’s plan to tackle the issue.
The immigration crisis reached a peak in 2022 when over 45,000 people entered the UK, breaking the previous year’s record by more than 17,000.
(With inputs from agencies)
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