The Prime Minister and Home Secretary have set out five new steps to tackle illegal migration. Last week I attended a meeting with the Home Secretary to discuss how the Government is tackling channel crossings, and I welcome the measures announced today which include :
A new agreement with Albania to speed up the return of Albanian asylum seekers, who make up a third of those arriving to the UK by small boats
A new, permanent, unified Small Boats Operational Command in the channel with 700 new staff
Tougher immigration enforcement with 200 new staff and better data sharing with banks
Cheaper accommodation sites so we can move migrants out of expensive hotels
Clear the initial asylum backlog by doubling the number of caseworkers and radically streamlining the process
