A dinghy apparently carrying 140 migrants has sparked a major protest in Portsmouth.
Andy Burnham has said the UK cannot be complacent over small boat crossings (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has been issued a warning after reports that just 1% of UK asylum applications are legitimate. A source told The Times that Iraqi Kurds, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have been exploiting British procedures. Now, Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, has told The Express that there is only one thing the Government must do.
“The asylum system is in utter chaos and yet the Prime Minister is refusing to act,” he said. “Dodgy deals with the French won’t stop the Channel crisis.” He then gave Mr Burnham a five-word message: “Only detention and deportation will”. This is “something this left-wing government will not even consider”, Mr Bates said. “Time for a complete freeze on asylum claims and a review of all grants.”
It comes after hundreds of protesters descended on Portsmouth vowing to prevent migrants who arrived in a small boat from being taken to a processing centre in Kent.
Protesters gathered in Portsmouth last night (Image: PA)
The group was attempting to block routes away from Eastney Marina and vowed to stay all night.
The dinghy, reported to be carrying some 140 migrants, sparked a major response as it headed towards the coast, with a helicopter, aeroplane and lifeboats sent to the scene.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This Government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election.
“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.
“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.”
Mr Burnham has said Britain and France must “stay one step ahead” of the criminal gangs’ evolving tactics to transport people across the English Channel, and vowed not to be “complacent” after a fall in the number of small boat arrivals.