FAILING to confront “community tensions” caused by immigration will only fuel far-right support, the Home Secretary has warned.
James Cleverly said politicians “must not hide” from the problems associated with immigration such as the burden on cohesion, housing and public services.
He used a speech in New York yesterday to make his toughest speech yet on the issue, which he warned was becoming “highly polarised and highly toxic.”
Mr Cleverly – whose mother emigrated from Sierra Leone in the 1960s – praised Britain’s “history of being welcoming and generous”.
But he said: “While I have explained some of the benefits of immigration it is important to recognise immigration can also cause tensions, challenges and sometime problems.
“We cannot and must not hide from the tensions and problems associated with immigration.”
The Home Secretary said the far-right British National Party managed to win a seat on the London Assembly in 2008 because immigration had been “badly mishandled”.
He said: “Mainstream politicians had ducked the issues about the community tension that immigration had caused.
“That’s the potential risk if we get this issue wrong. We need to look at the impact on GDP, and culture, and also the pressures on cohesion, housing, and public services.”
Mr Cleverly said that while the benefits of immigration are “widespread” the downsides “can be felt locally, and create real hotspots.”
He singled out the Notting Hill riots in 1958 where racial violence broke out on the streets of the capital.
Net migration last year was around 675,000 despite repeated Tory pledges to get it below 250,000.
Curbs are kicking in within weeks which the Home Office claims will slash that number by 300,000.
It includes raising the salary requirement for skilled workers to £38,000 and banning care workers from bringing dependents.
What is the Rwanda plan?
Under the plan, anyone who arrives in Britain illegally will be deported to Rwanda, a country in eastern Africa.
The government believes the threat of being removed to Rwanda will deter migrants from making the dangerous Channel crossing in small boats.
Once in Rwanda, their asylum claims will be processed but there is no route back to the UK, save for some exceptional circumstances such as individual safety concerns. Britain will pay for migrants to start a new life in Rwanda.
What’s the hold up?
First announced by Boris Johnson in 2022, the scheme has been bogged down by relentless legal challenges.
The first flight was due to take off in summer 2022, but was blocked on the runway at the last minute by a European Court order.
Since then the legality of the plan has been contested in the courts, culminating in a Supreme Court judgement in November last year which said Rwanda was unsafe for asylum seekers.
What is Sunak doing?
To salvage the Rwanda plan from the Supreme Court’s scathing ruling, Rishi Sunak announced a two-pronged workaround.
First, he would sign a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for asylum seekers that will be enshrined in law.
Second, he would introduce new legislation that would declare Rwanda a safe country.
It would mean courts, police and officials would have to treat it as safe unless there is a risk of individual and irreparable harm.
How long will that take?
The legislation has cleared the Commons but is now being held up in the House of Lords.
Rishi Sunak does not have a majority in the Lords, and peers are far more hostile to the plan.
They will likely send it back to the Commons with amendments watering down the scheme.
Such changes would be unconscionable to MPs who would strip out the measures and send it back.
This “ping-pong” will continue until either side – usually the unelected Lords – gives in and the Bill passes.
When will flights take off?
Mr Sunak wants to get the first flights sent to Rwanda by the spring.
But potential hurdles include more court battles launched by individual migrants or the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr Sunak has vowed to ignore any more orders by Strasbourg judges to ground planes, although individual appeals in domestic courts could prove tricky.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will scrap the scheme if he is elected PM, even if it is working.
