the time has come to take on the European justice which interferes in the expulsions of migrants
Suella Braverman will pledge on Tuesday to stop human rights laws ‘interfering’ with the UK’s ability to deport illegal migrants by introducing a new law prohibiting anyone crossing the Channel from seeking asylum in Great Britain.
The Home Secretary will accuse the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg of ‘misappropriation’ by ‘grossly extending’ the mandate of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to include requests for asylum it was never meant to cover.
The issue came to a head this summer when an unknown Strasbourg judge issued a so-called Article 39 injunction that founded the first flight to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, without the Kingdom United has any right of appeal.
“Now is the time to take control of this situation and ensure that the ECHR and its national equivalent, the Human Rights Act, cannot interfere with our illegal migration regime,” Ms Braverman writes. in an article for The Telegraph to be published on Tuesday.
In a speech to the Conservative Party Conference on Tuesday, Ms Braverman will present proposals for a bill which will mean that anyone entering the UK illegally, including by small boats across the English Channel, will be denied the refuge.
It will go further than the Nationality and Borders Act, introduced by her predecessor Priti Patel, which made asylum applications from people traveling through “safe” third countries like France “inadmissible” but allowed exceptions.
Fight against the “abuse” of human rights
In her Telegraph article, Ms Braverman says there must be new legislation that not only curbs “abuses” of human rights and modern slavery laws that prevent the deportation of illegal migrants and foreign criminals, but also facilitates the deportation of those who enter the UK illegally.
Noting that such legislation is only possible because of Brexit, she pledges to use it to restore ‘fairness’ to the UK asylum system, prevent it from being abused by criminal gangs and remove the incentive for migrants to make dangerous and illegal Channel crossings.
“Above all, we must ensure that the UK’s policy on illegal immigration cannot be derailed by modern slavery law, the Human Rights Act or the Strasbourg Court “, she writes.
“We don’t have much time, but it is imperative that we pass a bill in parliament as soon as possible. These provisions may be controversial, but there is no other way to solve the problem.
“I promise to move heaven and earth to pass this legislation and enforce its provisions before the next election.”
She describes the Channel migrant crisis – with more than 33,000 people reaching the UK on small boats so far this year – as one of the toughest issues a government has faced in times of peace.
She admits the ‘rollback’ tactics, used by the Australians, will not work to push migrants back into the Channel, but pledges to use ‘every tool at our disposal’ to stem the flow.
This will include “deeper” cooperation with the French through a deal to replace the £54m deal signed over a year ago, although it will take time to negotiate.
As well as using the Nationality and Borders Act to prosecute those who enter the UK illegally, she is also committed to looking at new legislative powers so that the government can deport those who come to the UK illegally.
On Monday, Ms Braverman told the Young Conservatives that she intended to deliver on the 2019 manifesto pledge to cut immigration despite the push for economic growth.
Fewer foreign students
She flagged that the number of overseas students could be reduced by targeting courses and institutions where graduates were not economically benefiting the UK.
Students make up a large part of overall immigration, with numbers up 60% year on year, from 256,000 to nearly 411,000 in the year to June.
“I think we’re getting to a point where we have to look at some of the courses that people are taking, some of the institutions that aren’t always of good quality. It is legitimate to wonder if they will meet our economic needs,” she said.
Ms Braverman also said she was ‘interested in considering’ whether there should be pre-charge anonymity for high-profile people arrested by police where the publicity could be ‘very, very detrimental’.
It follows scandals with public figures including Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor who have been falsely accused of historic sex offenses by phantasm Carl Beech.
“The police must be allowed to carry out their investigations, the Crown Prosecution Service must be allowed to make their decisions without pressure from the media, but individuals have the right to a fair trial. Trial by the media will only undermine our justice system,” she said.