Sunak unveils fresh plans to crack down on Channel crossings

The Prime Minister said “enough is enough” as he unveiled a raft of new measures to curb Channel crossings and tackle the backlog of asylum claims.

Rishi Sunak told the Commons, “unless we act now and decisively, this will only get worse” as he announced plans to establish a new “small boats operational command” dedicated to tackling the journeys to the UK.

He also pledged to clear the number of asylum claims awaiting a decision by the end of 2023 and announced plans to fast-track the removal of Albanian migrants as he faced pressure to address the migrant crisis.

Border Force officers will be embedded at Tirana airport under a new agreement with Albania, Mr Sunak added.

Home Office figures from September showed there were more than 143,000 asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their claims, while nearly 100,000 had been waiting more than six months.

More than 44,000 people have crossed the Channel this year, Government figures show.