The problem with the government’s illegal migration bill is not just that it is inhumane and unworkable. It is that the inhumanity and unworkability look calculated. They are not simply bugs of the project; they may even be features.
The government has said it will return all those who enter the UK via small boats or dispatch them to a third country – though Rwanda has not yet received one person in exchange for its pocketing of £120m. It remains to be seen whether Rishi Sunak’s meeting with Emmanuel Macron on Friday will lead to arrangements for returns to France. To save money, tens of thousands of people could be warehoused in mass detention camps. The home secretary, Suella Braverman, says modern slavery rules will not prevent removals.
