Boris could toughen up laws on seeking asylum

BORIS Johnson signalled his support for major reform of the asylum system yesterday.

he called for a fresh look at laws which make it ‘very, very difficult’ to return migrants who have come to Britain ‘blatantly illegally’.

Escalating his rhetoric, he described the migrants’ Channel crossings as a ‘very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do’.

It comes after the Mail revealed in May that home secretary Priti Patel wanted to see new laws which would streamline the asylum process.

Under the proposed changes, failed asylum seekers would be required to lodge all their arguments at the beginning of an appeal. The move would stop them delaying their deportation by making a series of claims in the courts under different elements of human rights laws.

At present, it is thought only around 1 in 40 of the migrants who come to Britain illegally are being sent back.

The PM’s backing means such legislation is now highly likely to go ahead.

Mr Johnson said: ‘Be in no doubt what’s going on is the activity of cruel and criminal gangs who are risking the lives of these people taking them across the Channel, a pretty dangerous stretch of water in potentially unseaworthy vessels.

‘We want to stop that working with the French, make sure that they understand that this isn’t a good idea, this is a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do. But then there’s a second thing we’ve got to do and that is to look at the legal framework that we have that means that when people do get here, it is very, very difficult to then send them away again even though blatantly they’ve come here illegally.’

he added: ‘We’ve got a problem which is that there are people who want to come from around the world to this country because obviously it’s a great place to be. There’s no doubt that it would be helpful if we could work with our French friends to stop them getting over the Channel.’

lisa Doyle, of the refugee Council, said last night: ‘It’s incredibly disappointing to hear the Prime Minister using such inaccurate and inflammatory language to describe men, women and children who are desperate enough to make perilous journeys across the busiest shipping channel in the world. seeking asylum is not a crime and it is legitimate that people have to cross borders to do so.’