Rishi Sunak has said illegal migration threatens to “overwhelm” Europe and hinted a change is needed in international law in order to tackle it.
Speaking to Italian conservatives at an event in Rome, the prime minister said “enemies” could use immigration as a “weapon” by “deliberately driving people to our shores to try to destabilise our society”.
“Criminal gangs will find ever cheaper ways to ply their evil trade,” he added. “They will exploit our humanity.
“They think nothing of putting people’s lives at risk when they put them in these boats at sea.”
Mr Sunak then hinted at the need to change international law on immigration, telling the crowd at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Atreju political festival: “If we do not tackle this problem, the numbers will only grow.
“It will overwhelm our countries and our capacity to help those who actually need our help the most.
“If that requires us to update our laws and lead an international conversation to amend the post-war frameworks around asylum, then we must do that.
“Because if we don’t fix this problem now, the boats will keep coming and more lives will be lost at sea.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Back in Britain, Mr Sunak has been fighting to pass his flagship Rwanda bill, which was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court last month.
Tuesday saw the prime minister survive a possible rebellion as a new draft of the bill – which declares in law that Rwanda is a safe country – was passed by MPs at its second reading by 313 votes to 270, a majority of 43.
The revised bill will allow ministers to disapply the UK’s Human Rights Act, but does not extend the same powers to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which hardline Tory…
More information about this article Read More
Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2023-12-16 15:16:00
Sky News is a British 24-hour information television channel, the first in Europe of its kind, launched on February 5, 1989 by the British Sky Broadcasting Company.