Asylum plan: smoke and mirrors

GET IN TOUCH

Asylum plan: smoke and mirrors

Pete North • 14 April 2022

Don't believe the Tories on immigration

The government has today (Thursday 14 April) set out new plans to tackle illegal migration and crack down on the criminal gangs exploiting this international crisis. Central to this is a world-first Migration and Economic Development Partnership signed by the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Rwandan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-Operation, Vincent Biruta.

This, says Priti Patel, will see migrants who make dangerous or illegal journeys, such as by small boat or hidden in lorries, have their asylum claim processed in Rwanda. “Those whose claims are accepted will then be supported to build a new and prosperous life in one of the fastest-growing economies, recognised globally for its record on welcoming and integrating migrants”.

Under this Partnership the UK is investing £120 million into the economic development and growth of Rwanda. Funding will also be provided to support the delivery of asylum operations, accommodation and integration, similar to the costs incurred in the UK for these services.

This is essentially a rehash of plans already mooted by the government, though the official statement does not link to the full text of any agreement so this could easily be yet another work of fiction. The government is still “investing” substantial sums on upgrading migrant reception facilities, which tells us this is a long term fixture. The government plans to house migrants on the site of RAF Linton on Ouse, ignoring the objections of residents. Consequently UKIP will stand against Kevin Hollinrake at the next election.

In addition to a statement by Priti Patel, the prime minister has also made an announcement in which he says:

“There are currently 80 million displaced people in the world, many in failed States where governments can’t meet their aspirations. In an era of mobile connectivity they are a call or a text away from potentially being swept up in the tide of people smuggling. The answer cannot be for the UK to become the haven for all of them. That is a call for open borders by the back door, a political argument masquerading as a humanitarian policy. Those in favour of this approach should be honest about it and argue for it openly. We reject it, as the British people have consistently rejected it at the ballot box – in favour of controlled immigration. We simply cannot have a policy of saying anyone who wants to live here can do so. We’ve got to be able to control who comes into this country and the terms on which they remain”.

We have said as much, countless times over the last two years. The PM seems to understand that they are undermining the “natural compassion and goodwill” that people have towards refugees in this country. But we have heard it all before. With another 600 arrivals just yesterday, unless this plan fills at least two plane loads every week then it’s just window dressing.

The real test of the government’s sincerity is whether it will take on the open borders blob and the NGOcracy who will attempt to defeat this agreement on human rights grounds. Presently the government is financing its own opposition, Like environmentalist groups, the open borders NGOs such as the Refugee Council take a large part of their funding from government funded grants and direct payments. This funding must be withdrawn. If NGOs want to play in politics then let them raise their own funds.

In all probability the numbers we will see moved overseas will be small, and not nearly enough to make a difference, and probably not enough to serve as any kind of deterrence. Without a withdrawal from the Refugee Convention, and a radical overhaul of human rights laws, this plan will be stillborn.

We’d like to believe the government, but there is no basis on which to take this announcement seriously. The timing suggests it’s a ploy to provide ground cover as the PM faces negative press over his Covid fines.

Worse still, Johnson’s proxy war on Russia is set to create a global food crisis, hitting Africa especially hard, resulting in yet another wave of migration. Unless new measures can outstrip the current pace of invasion then the plan will make no difference whatsoever. Unless the government is prepared to make the fundamental reforms to the legal framework of asylum now, Johnson may never be able to do it. Current polling suggests, at the very least, he will lose a working majority at the next election. He’ll have squandered the opportunity.

We have no faith in this government. There is no reason to believe this latest move is sincere. Boris Johnson doesn’t have the grit or the stamina to take on the open borders blob and he will cave in every single time. Only UKIP will deliver on their promise to bring immigration down.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Recent National News

Enough is Enough

by Cameron Bishop • 2 November 2024

Cameron Bishop Former Police Crown Servant, Solicitor & UKIP Activist

Ever wondered what makes UKIP different?

by Ben Walker • 21 October 2024

Ben Walker National Party Chairman - UK Independence Party

The Father of BREXIT Dies

by Stuart Gulleford • 11 September 2024

Jeffrey Titford 24.10.1933 – 09.09.2024 Jeffrey Titford, the former Leader of the UK Independence Party and two term MEP for the East of England, has passed away, after suffering from cancer. His family announced his death on 10 th September, aged 90. Jeffrey was one of the fathers of Brexit, coming to the fore in national and international politics at a time when leaving the EU was considered unthinkable and long before it became official Conservative Party policy. A visionary and a democrat, who did not believe that EU membership provided a viable future for Britain as an independent, self-governing nation, Jeffrey Titford was elected to the European Parliament at the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections, aged 63. He was one of three UK Independence Party MEPs elected, which sent shock waves through the political world. He became Leader of the Party in 2000 and served for three years bringing stability and respectability to its campaigns. During this period, he made seventy speeches a year, travelling all over the country. He also served as interim Leader from September to November 2010, following the resignation of Lord Pearson of Rannoch, while the election of a new Leader was held. During his time in the European Parliament, he made dozens of speeches in Plenary session severely criticising the EU and particularly the level of fraud in its finances. He also extensively lobbied the European Commission and the Government in Westminster on behalf of the British fishing and farming industries. He led several delegations of fishermen to see UK Agriculture Ministers in Westminster and also took a delegation to meet the European Commissioner for Fishing in Brussels. He wrote monthly columns for the East Anglian Daily Times, the Hertfordshire Mercury and Farmers Guide and made many appearances on regional television. He also made a guest appearance on Breakfast with Frost. Jeffrey Titford’s political career began in 1970, when he became a Councillor on the Clacton Urban District Council. He ended his association with the Conservative Party in 1992, in protest over Prime Minister John Major’s signing of the Maastricht Treaty. He joined Sir James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party and, in a sign of things to come, stood in the General Election of 1997 in Harwich when he was the Party’s most successful candidate, securing almost 10 per cent of the vote and, in the process, unseating the sitting Member of Parliament. Following the death of Sir James Goldsmith, Jeffrey was invited to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP), where he established a branch in Clacton and a regional committee, which led to his successful campaign in the European Elections in 1999. He paved the way for Nigel Farage’s subsequent success in Clacton at the 2024 General Election. He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2004, with a greatly increased share of the vote and UKIP also returned a second MEP. He retired from European Politics in 2009 and was made an Honorary Patron of the Party in 2006 and became President for Life in 2011. Life before politics Following National Service in the RAF, Jeffrey joined the family’s funeral directing business in 1956, where he had a 35 year career, during which he served for 12 years on the National Association of Funeral Director’s (NAFD) National Executive and rose to National President in 1975-76. He was instrumental in developing an official code of practice for the funeral profession, at the request of the Office of Fair Trading. He also successfully campaigned for funeral directors to have the right to sell a package funeral and carried out the first review of the practice manual for funeral directing, which led to the creation of a formal qualification for funeral directors, recognised by the NAFD. He sold the company in February 1989 and retired from the profession. An enthusiastic Rotarian, Jeffrey served as President of the Clacton and later Frinton Rotary Clubs. He also belonged to the Clacton Operatic and Clacton Dramatic Societies, taking lead roles in both companies. However, his most successful hobby was rally driving. He was a leading light in the Clacton Motor Club in the early seventies for whom he was the regional rally champion for six consecutive years. Jeffrey Titford was a devoted family man and is survived by his wife Margaret, one son, three daughters, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.