A number of constituents have contacted me raising their frustrations and concerns regarding the number of people attempting to enter our country illegally on small boats. This precarious journey is not only extremely dangerous for all those involved, but also undermines our immigration system and puts further strain on the network. The Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, agrees
UK and France jointly prevented more than 53,000 small boat crossings since 2021 and have dismantled 55 organised crime groups and made over 500 arrests.
I welcome the further measures which have recently been implemented including:
UK-funded patrols in France increased by 40%.
The Prime Minister has re-established the Calais Group of Northern European nations to disrupt traffickers.
New agreement with Albania for weekly flights to remove Albanian claimants.
New permanent, unified Small Boats Operational Command in the channel, with 700 new staff.
Tougher immigration enforcement with 200 new staff and better data sharing with banks.
Government commitment to clearing the initial asylum backlog by 2023 through doubling the number of caseworkers and streamlining the process.
