People smugglers and migrants seeking to make their way to the UK on small boats are set to face tougher prison sentences, the Home Office has announced.
The stricter enforcements form part of the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is due for its first reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday,
The proposed legislation intends to make it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK unlawfully, with the maximum sentence rising from six months’ imprisonment to four years.
HM’s Government is also planning to increase the tariff for people smugglers, with those found guilty facing life behind bars – up from the current maximum of 14 years.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: ‘The Nationality and Borders Bill contains vital measures to fix the UK’s broken asylum system.
‘Our new plan for immigration is fair but firm.
‘We will welcome people through safe and legal routes whilst preventing abuse of the system, cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it.’
The Labour party has said it will oppose the bill, with shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds referring to the legislation as ‘unconscionable’.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, added: ‘While the Home Office continues to make no safe and legal routes to the UK available for those claiming asylum, some people will continue to be forced to risk their lives to do so – including in small boats across the Channel.
‘Instead of peddling deliberately misleading myths and untruths about asylum and migration, the Home Office should be establishing safe routes for those few people escaping persecution who wish to seek asylum here.’
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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