In his latest column, High Peak MP Robert Largan discusses how the Government is clamping down on people illegally crossing the Channel in small boats.

Over 40,000 people have illegally crossed the Channel in small boats this year. Totally unsustainable numbers putting pressure on public services. Many originate from safe, prosperous European countries and travel through other EU states.

This simply cannot be allowed to continue.

The Prime Minister has rightly prioritised the issue since he took office. He negotiated a deal with France to increase the number of patrols on the French coast by 40 per cent.

But I’ve always been clear, that we need to go much further to tackle this issue. I have written in this paper on a number of occasions about our broken asylum system and the urgent need to get control of our borders.

That’s why I welcome the new five-point plan set out by the Prime Minister this week.

A new Small Boats Operation Command will coordinate the protection of our borders with 700 new members of staff. These extra resources will increase police raids on illegal working by 50 per cent.

It’s absurd that we spend around £5.5 million every day of taxpayers’ money housing asylum seekers in hotels. This must end.

Arrangements are being made for cheaper, alternative sites to be used instead, and 10,000 people are being moved to half the cost of housing asylum seekers.

One of the reasons that hotels are being used to house asylum seekers at such great expense, is the length of time it takes to process arrivals.

We need to process claims in days or weeks, not months or years. Unlike Labour did when they were in power, we are not doing this by granting amnesties to illegal migrants, which only encourages more people to enter the UK illegally.

Instead, the Government will cut the red tape which frustrates claims by issuing shorter guidance for officials, require less paperwork, and hire more specialist caseworkers. These measures should clear through the backlog of claims by the end of next year.

Finally, it cannot be right that one-third of those arriving in small boats this year – almost 13,000 – are Albanian.

Albania is a safer European country. A member of NATO and applying to join the EU. Germany, France, Belgium, and Sweden reject almost all Albanian asylum claims. Yet the Home Office currently only reject only 45 per cent of asylum claims from Albania.

Quite rightly, Albania will now be designated as a safe country with a new dedicated unit of 400 specialists to fast-track bogus asylum claims within weeks.

Border Force officers will also be based in Albania to stop people coming here illegally in the first place.

To solve this problem once and for all though, we need to reform our laws so that (usually London-based) lawyers can no longer prolong asylum claims.

If you enter the UK illegally you should not be able to remain here. And once removed you should have no right to re-entry.

Enough is enough. We have to stop the boats. This Government will do whatever it takes.

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