The number of migrants detected in the Channel has reached its highest daily total so far this year, with 755 recorded yesterday. This brings the total number of illegal crossings to over 100,000 since records began – and that’s just those we know about. June and July had so far been the worst two months of the year, and it looks like August will continue that trend.
‘Small boats week’ is going well then…
The Home Office have announced Bas Javid has been appointed the new Director General of Immigration Enforcement, joining in November. It will be his responsibility to “lead the efforts to tackle illegal migration”, and he will work alongside the police and Border Force to crack down on what Suella calls the “scourge on our society“. He’s currently the Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police Service. He also happens to be Sajid Javid’s brother…
Commenting on the appointment today – on the same day the total number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats since 2018 reached a whopping 100,000 – Suella Braverman said:
“Immigration abuse is a scourge on our society and I will leave no stone unturned in clamping down on this illegality. Bas brings a wealth of law enforcement experience and will further ramp up our efforts to tackle immigration offending, as the British people would expect.”
Bas joins the Home Office after 30 years’ experience in the police force. Luckily it shouldn’t take too long for him to adjust to the new gig. His brother was the Home Secretary four years ago…
Around 50 asylum seekers have arrived on the Bibby Stockholm barge this afternoon. The government expects about 500 to reside here over the comings months. Not by the end of the week, as Sarah Dines claimed this morning…
The High Court has ruled that the Home Office’s “routine” housing of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels is unlawful and the arrangements are “not fit for purpose“. In this morning’s ruling, Justice Chamberlain said placing children in hotels “may be used on very short periods in true emergency situations”. He also went after Suella personally…
“It cannot be used systematically or routinely in circumstances where it is intended, or functions in practice, as a substitute for local authority care. From December 2021 at the latest, the practice of accommodating children in hotels, outside local authority care, was both systematic and routine and had become an established part of the procedure for dealing with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. From that point on, the Home Secretary’s provision of hotel accommodation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children exceeded the proper limits of her powers and was unlawful.“
The legal action was brought forward by the charity Every Child Protected Against Trafficking, with the Home Office and Department for Education claiming the hotel use was lawful but was “deployed effectively as a ‘safety net’ and as a matter of necessity“. They could now appeal the decision, although they’re already busy fighting the Rwanda case in the Supreme Court…
2,159 migrants were detected crossing the Channel in the week from the 12th – 18th of June. That’s more than in any month of 2023 so far. This brings the total crossings in June so far (only until the 19th) to 2,908. It seems Guido hasn’t been the only one making the most of recent warm weather…
The latest record figures come just days after Rishi bragged that crossings are down 20% on last year. If just 232 more migrants are detected, there would have been more crossings this June than any month in the same period of 2022.
With immigration figures yesterday reaching a record high, Labour has been keen to keep up appearances with their new anti-immigration act. It seems this message failed to reach Sadiq Khan, who was yesterday touring media stations and proudly proclaiming Labour as a “pro-migration party”. Clearly learning from Starmer’s record as a leftie lawyer…
Yvette Cooper was presented with Sadiq’s claims on LBC last night, with Andrew Marr asking three times if she agreed with Sadiq’s description. All Cooper could say was:
“Immigration is important to this country but it also needs to be controlled and managed so that the system is fair… Immigration is going to carry on being important. I mean it is, It’s part of our history. It brings considerable benefits to our country, doesn’t it”.
If you want an insight into how Labour’s line on migration will shift if they get into government, all you need to do is look to London…
