DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Porous borders are a shameful betrayal
In each of the four general elections held over the past 12 years, plus the EU referendum, the public has voted decisively for controlled immigration.
So they would be forgiven for feeling dismayed that, every day, hundreds of illegal migrants are crossing the Channel in small boats with impunity. The scale of the crisis represents a monumental and abject failure by the Government.
The number arriving on our shores this year has topped 38,000 – equivalent to the population of a small town. Let’s be unambiguously clear, these migrants did not leave France fearing for their lives. They were lured here by the lavish welfare on offer in ‘El Dorado’ Britain.
Thousands are from war-free Albania. Our broken system has processed only 4 per cent of last year’s asylum claims.
And accommodating them in hotels costs taxpayers £7million a day – money that could be spent on schools and hospitals.
So they would be forgiven for feeling dismayed that, every day, hundreds of illegal migrants are crossing the Channel in small boats with impunity. The scale of the crisis represents a monumental and abject failure by the Government
This is one of the first big tests for Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. He must follow through on his pledge to get tough on the problem with his ten-point action plan.
If he can get the Rwanda deportation scheme up and running, it would be a powerful deterrent to migrants making the treacherous journey and put the people smugglers out of business.
Yes, Mr Sunak will face shrieks of outrage from the Left. But they have no solution beyond throwing open our borders.
By contrast, stopping the crossings will win him votes among the millions who time and again have demanded a crackdown on illegal immigration. And time and again have been let down by ministers.
Stop pension U-turns
If Mr Sunak’s critics had anticipated a dull technocrat dashing off statistics during his first Commons question time as Prime Minister, they were sorely disappointed.
He had fire in his belly at the despatch box and a willingness to trade blows with Sir Keir Starmer. But although this pugnacious performance was good for party mood, Mr Sunak must now grapple with the real work of government. Wisely he pushed back the Autumn Statement from October 31 to November 17.
If Mr Sunak’s critics had anticipated a dull technocrat dashing off statistics during his first Commons question time as Prime Minister, they were sorely disappointed
It avoids Halloween horror-style headlines and any market bounce may soften the need for tax hikes and spending cuts. But his refusal to commit to the pension triple lock – a fifth U-turn – is concerning.
The flip-flopping is causing pensioners uncertainty and anxiety. It must stop.
Absurd fracking ban
With an energy crisis caused by a shortage of gas taking a wrecking ball to household budgets, it’s absurd for Mr Sunak to ban fracking. He vowed to govern in the national interest, not kowtow to NIMBYs and the shrill eco-lobby for political expediency.
Refusing to explore shale gas extraction means the PM is turning his back on a potentially transformative supply of low-cost energy, job creation and huge investment.
Worse, he risks sacrificing our energy security, leaving us at the mercy of global market shocks and the belligerent whim of tyrants such as Vladimir Putin
Worse, he risks sacrificing our energy security, leaving us at the mercy of global market shocks and the belligerent whim of tyrants such as Vladimir Putin.
It’s truly contemptible for politicians to oppose fracking, while shedding crocodile tears over soaring gas and electricity bills.
- If the BBC is as scrupulously neutral as it insists, why does it broadcast so many egregious examples of anti-Tory bias? The latest involved a graphic on TV that described Mr Sunak using two offensive expletives. It’s possible incompetent journalists missed these profanities. But the truth is, prejudice against the Tories is so institutionally entrenched, staff wouldn’t see anything wrong with the words. If increasingly disgruntled viewers were to sum up the corporation in a word, it might be ‘Defund’.
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