On Tuesday 13th December, Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP welcomed the Prime Minister’s statement on illegal immigration. The statement outlined the introduction of five new measures to tackle illegal immigration.
Mr. Baynes asked the Prime Minister: “Could he provide more details about how the new Small Boats Operational Command will help to ensure that no small boat can arrive undetected on our shores?”
Mr. Baynes was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration from July to September this year.
In response to Mr Baynes’ question, the Prime Minister said:
“The new Small Boat Operational Command will bring together our civilian abilities, our military and the NCA in a more unified way than before.
“Supplement that with new technology, whether it’s surveillance, aerial or land-based drone and radar. And in doing all that we will be able to maintain an exceptionally high interception rate and increase the level of prosecutions that we’re currently seeing.”
Speaking later, Simon Baynes MP said:
“The range of measures announced by the Prime Minister in his statement will make the asylum system fairer by ensuring that illegal migrants who originate from safe countries and travel through safe countries should not be able to remain in the United Kingdom. I am also encouraged by the government’s commitment to clearing the asylum backlog by 2023 through the streamlining of the process and doubling of caseworkers.
“I was also reassured to hear that next year the government will go further and introduce new legislation to make it clear that if you enter the UK illegally you should not be able to remain.”