Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has stated that the United Kingdom's small-boats crisis is out of control and that more deaths are likely this summer unless the government takes decisive action.
Philp described witnessing illegal immigrants boarding small boats on the beaches of France to cross the English Channel, asserting that French gendarmes were ordered not to intervene.
"This week I witnessed with my own eyes the chaos unfolding on the beaches of France as illegal immigrants boarded small boats to cross the Channel," Philp wrote. He recounted tracking a group of approximately 100 individuals, primarily young men from Africa, from a woodland camp in northern France to their departure point.
According to Philp, he pointed out a smuggler to the gendarmes and asked them to make an arrest, but they refused, stating they had orders not to take physical action. "The truth is that illegal immigrants will keep trying to cross the Channel to Britain unless we end the system of incentives that motivate them to make the journey," he argued.
Philp contended that migrants are willing to risk the dangerous journey because they believe they will be housed, fed, receive money, and be able to work illegally in the UK, with little chance of deportation. He cited an increase of 1,500 arrivals on the south coast since the current Prime Minister took office, following a lull attributed to high waves.
He outlined a Conservative plan to address the issue, which includes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. This, he claims, would allow for the deportation of all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival. The plan also proposes barring them from claiming asylum, making modern slavery claims, receiving legal aid, or pursuing any legal avenues to remain in the country.
"If illegal immigrants knew they would be removed from the country within a week, they wouldn’t come here in the first place," Philp stated, drawing a comparison to Australia's immigration policies, which he said reduced illegal boat immigration to near zero.
Philp expressed that implementing the Conservative strategy is urgent, particularly given his observations of the situation in France. He noted that four people died after the busiest day for small-boat crossings so far this year, shortly after the Prime Minister claimed his plan was succeeding.