Priti Patel has accused asylum seekers of “pretending” to be fleeing danger as she “remain committed” to the Tory government’s controversial Rwanda deportation policy.
The Tory Home Secretary launched a desperate attack on asylum seekers after the first flight carrying migrants to Rwanda was cancelled on Tuesday night after multiple legal challenges.
The European Court of Human Rights granted a last-minute stay to one of the seven asylum seekers on the first flight until a full judicial review of the policy in the High Court next month.
The other six asylum seekers then cited the late-night decision in tribunals in the UK and managed to avoid being flown to Rwanda.
In the Commons Patel said the European Court of Human Rights “did not rule” that ministers’ controversial policy was illegal.
She said ministers were “proud” of the policy and that it would continue.
Patel then told the Commons the UK “cannot accept” the “pressure on public services”, adding some migrants were leaving European countries like France to seek asylum in Britain.
She said: “It is no use pretending they are fleeing persecution when they are travelling from a safe country.”
“Our capacity to help is not infinite and public support for the asylum system will be fatally undermined if we do not act.”
Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael came back sharply on the Home Secretary’s claim
He questioned Patel, saying: “Home Office figures tell us that 98 per cent of those who make the Channel crossing claim asylum, 64 per cent of asylum applications are granted at first instance and that rises to almost 80 per cent after appeal.
“Either the Home Secretary in demonising these people is making an incorrect statement, or else the Home Office figures are incorrect, or else the Home Office is granting asylum applications to people who are not fleeing persecution. Which is it?”
Patel said he was “wrong on all counts” because “the individuals coming over the Channel are coming from a safe country which is France.”
The European Court, which is not part of the EU, did not rule that the policy was illegal, only that someone should not be sent to Rwanda before a full decision by the courts.
A total of 444 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats on Tuesday, the planned day of the first deportation flight, the Ministry of Defence said.
This is the highest number of people since 562 were recorded on April 14 earlier this year.
On Wednesday morning approximately 90 more migrants were brought into Dover by Border Force vessels.
The High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the UK had all previously refused to grant an injunction.
Downing Street on Wednesday refused to rule out trying to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights drawn up in the aftermath of the Second World War to protect people from unfair trials, torture, slavery and invasion of privacy.
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