Blitz Bureau
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Government will retain a ban on asylum seekers being able to claim protections under modern slavery and other human rights laws, even as its ministers have previously criticised those measures, according to Reuters.
Starmer is under pressure to deal with tens of thousands of people who arrive to the UK each year on small boats, a key issue of concern for British voters, after he pledged in last year’s election campaign to “smash the gangs” controlling the people smuggling trade.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill introduced to parliament on January 30 will allow the police to seize the mobile phones of asylum seekers to help track down people smugglers, and target those suspected of supplying parts used in the small boats to transport people to England.
The billwill also allow people smugglers to be jailed for up to 14 years for handling small boat parts. The Labour Party, which won power in July, also plans to retain parts of legislation passed by the previous Conservative Government that will disqualify asylum seekers using modern slavery laws to challenge decisions to remove them, and the power to detain child asylum seekers for up to 28 days, the agency said.
Labour had voted against those measures in Parliament when legislation on them was passed in 2023. Starmer’s office and the interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Immigration and asylum is the second most important issue to voters after the economy, ahead of health, according to a tracker poll published by YouGov.
Government figures show that 36,816 people came to Britain via small boats last year, a 25 per cent jump from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023. The latest government statistics on Channel crossings make 2024 the second-highest year for arrivals since data was first collated in 2018.
