LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday his plan to stop migrants coming to Britain illegally by sea had cut inflows by 20%, an update he hoped would lessen criticism from his party and the state about immigration. policy.
Sunak, who is expected to lead the Conservative Party ahead of next year’s national election, has pledged to stop illegal sea crossings as one of five promises he made to Britain after coming to power in October last year.
However, he has been criticized by members of his own party and some public opinion for not acting quickly enough and for hotel accommodation for migrants after large numbers arrived in Britain last year.
“In the five months since I implemented the plan, arrivals (through the English Channel) have fallen by 20% compared to last year,” Sunak told a news conference in south London, England.
“The plan is working,” he said, adding that his government was not satisfied with the figures and would work hard to ensure new laws were passed by Parliament.
He also said the deal with Albania meant Britain was returning more migrants to the country.
“We have returned 1,800 people to Albania in just six months. We have gone from accepting one in five Albanian asylum cases to only one in 50,” said Sunak.
“So far this year, the number of Albanians arriving in small boats has fallen by almost 90%.”
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Writing by Farouq Suleiman and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Kate Holton; Editing in Spanish by Tomás Cobos)
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