Boris Johnson has defended his plan to send migrants arriving illegally in the UK thousands of miles away to Rwanda as “the morally right thing to do”.
The policy is part of the prime minister’s plan to tackle the problem of dangerous Channel crossings by migrants in small boats – though he admitted there would be legal challenges and it would not happen overnight.
Mr Johnson rebuffed concerns from charities that the plan – which he said would see tens of thousands of people sent to the east African country over coming years – was “cruel and nasty”.
He said: “This is the morally right thing to do and the humane and compassionate thing to do.
“We cannot have people continuing to die at sea, paying huge sums to evil people trackers who are simply exploiting their hopes and their ambitions.
“We need to encourage them to take the safe and legal route if they want to come to this country.”
The wider strategy will also see a previously-announced plan for the Royal Navy to take over responsibility for tackling people crossing the Channel take effect from today, with £50m in new funding.
There will also be a new, nationwide dispersal system in the UK to spread asylum seekers more equally among local authorities and a new reception centre will be opened at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire.
At a speech in Kent, the PM said that “those who tried to jump the queue or abuse our systems will find no automatic path to set them up in our country”.
He said that from today anyone caught entering the UK illegally – such as on small boats or hidden in lorries – as well as those who have already arrived illegally from 1 January, may be relocated to Rwanda, under the £120m scheme.
However, he conceded that it was “unlikely” that the new measures would result in the number of small boat crossings falling to zero “any time soon”.
The PM batted off concerns about human rights in the country, saying people should not take a “blinkered” view and insisting it was “one of the safest countries in the world, globally recognised for its record on welcoming and integrating migrants”.
But last year, the UK government itself said in a global report that “critical voices continued to face heavy restrictions” in the country and that it had raised concerns with the government there.
The British Red Cross said it was “profoundly concerned” about sending “traumatised people halfway round the world”.
