The Tories have failed so badly at stopping illegal migration that tens of thousands of people cross the Channel each year with complete confidence that they will be able to stay in Britain and will not face deportation. The costs of this on nationhood and culture are regularly discussed. Yesterday, the government was sent a hideous reminder of another cost of its inaction—that of human life.
As Chancellor Jeremy Hunt travelled from Downing Street to Parliament on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the “difficult decisions” he is making to get the country “back on track,” a small boat carrying 60 migrants trying to reach open-border Britain sank just after leaving France. Two of those onboard—a man and a woman—drowned.
Initial reports say that a third person was rescued from the sea and flown to hospital, while the other passengers were brought back to land. Some of these suffered from hypothermia. The two deceased were aged around 30. It is not yet known where they came from.
A manslaughter investigation has been started, just two days before the second anniversary of the deadliest drowning in the Channel in 40 years.
The smugglers who facilitate these dangerous journeys have made it quite clear that they will continue to do so as long as their “customers” know that once they’re in Britain, they will be able to stay there. They have also demonstrated their clear disregard for safety, with one jailed smuggler telling a migrant who complained that “the boat is bad,” this is “not important … just get to the other side.”
Tory ministers say their ‘Rwanda Plan’ to deport illegal entrants for asylum processing in the African nation will deter migrants from crossing the Channel. But the scheme has been nothing but an embarrassment since its announcement, meaning, as one source who regularly visits the Calais migrant camp said, it is hard to find “a single migrant who believes they’ll ever be deported to Rwanda.”
Even after its allegedly “unifying” reshuffle, there is absolutely no sign that Rishi Sunak’s crumbling cabinet will be able to make any headway in deterring illegal—and deadly—crossings before it is thrown out of office at the next general election.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for The European Conservative based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
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Two Drown as Tories Fail To Get a Grip on Illegal Migration
Photo: Sean Aidan Calderbank / Shutterstock.com
The Tories have failed so badly at stopping illegal migration that tens of thousands of people cross the Channel each year with complete confidence that they will be able to stay in Britain and will not face deportation. The costs of this on nationhood and culture are regularly discussed. Yesterday, the government was sent a hideous reminder of another cost of its inaction—that of human life.
As Chancellor Jeremy Hunt travelled from Downing Street to Parliament on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the “difficult decisions” he is making to get the country “back on track,” a small boat carrying 60 migrants trying to reach open-border Britain sank just after leaving France. Two of those onboard—a man and a woman—drowned.
Initial reports say that a third person was rescued from the sea and flown to hospital, while the other passengers were brought back to land. Some of these suffered from hypothermia. The two deceased were aged around 30. It is not yet known where they came from.
A manslaughter investigation has been started, just two days before the second anniversary of the deadliest drowning in the Channel in 40 years.
The smugglers who facilitate these dangerous journeys have made it quite clear that they will continue to do so as long as their “customers” know that once they’re in Britain, they will be able to stay there. They have also demonstrated their clear disregard for safety, with one jailed smuggler telling a migrant who complained that “the boat is bad,” this is “not important … just get to the other side.”
Tory ministers say their ‘Rwanda Plan’ to deport illegal entrants for asylum processing in the African nation will deter migrants from crossing the Channel. But the scheme has been nothing but an embarrassment since its announcement, meaning, as one source who regularly visits the Calais migrant camp said, it is hard to find “a single migrant who believes they’ll ever be deported to Rwanda.”
Even after its allegedly “unifying” reshuffle, there is absolutely no sign that Rishi Sunak’s crumbling cabinet will be able to make any headway in deterring illegal—and deadly—crossings before it is thrown out of office at the next general election.
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