Mansfield and Warsop MP Ben Bradley has welcomed the announcement that the Illegal Migration Bill has now become law. The bill passed through all Parliamentary stages on the 17th July with Royal Assent being granted on Thursday the 20th July.
The Illegal Migration Bill is a key part of the government’s plan to ‘stop the boats’ and significantly simplifies the UK’s often complicated asylum system. Under this bill, those who arrive to the UK via illegal means, such as via the English Channel, will be prevented from applying for asylum until they have been removed to a safe third country like Rwanda. This measure alone means that 90% of those who submitted asylum claims last year would no longer be able to stay in the UK.
Those who arrive to the UK illegally commonly submit appeals to their deportations as late as possible, leading to a significant backlog in the UK’s immigration system and costing taxpayers millions. The Illegal Migration Bill also deals with this aspect of asylum law by preventing these kind of late applications designed purely to frustrate the removals process.
Commenting, Ben Bradley stated:
‘One of the most common reasons constituents contact me is to talk about the small boat crossings and illegal migration. People are tired of the talk and want to see action. The Illegal Migration Bill gives the government the powers it needs to take robust action to stop these crossings and I am pleased to see it receive Royal Assent and become law.’
‘This bill makes key changes to our asylum system and I particularly welcome the measure of blocking those who arrive to the UK via illegal means from applying for asylum until they have been removed to a safe country. Just this measure by itself is a huge change in our asylum law that will help show the UK is not a soft touch on the issue of illegal immigration. Thankfully, this bill contains other measures such as the curbing of late applications and appeals that only seek to frustrate the removals process.’
‘I look forward to seeing the government utilise these new powers and I will be making sure to hold them to account on this as I know how much people in Mansfield want to see this issue finally dealt with.’
