MPs back Government's controversial Rwanda plan for asylum seekers
County MPs have welcomed a plan that could see asylum seekers sent to Rwanda.
Ludlow MP Philip Dunne, and Telford MP, Lucy Allan, both Conservatives, have been joined by party colleague, Montgomeryshire's Craig Williams, in voicing their support for the Home Secretary's controversial plan.
They said a deterrent is needed to stop people trying to cross the English Channel.
But North Shropshire Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan dismissed the plan as an expensive distraction from the Prime Minister's fixed penalty notice for breaching his own Covid rules.
Ms Allan said: "We cannot go on accepting illegal migrants from France crossing the Channel in small boats.
"Not only does this risk lives and encourage people trafficking, but it allows many thousands of illegal migrants to avoid the legal migration route and jump the queue every year. It has to stop.
"The Government has tried many different avenues but has been unable to reach any practical solution with France which would deter illegal migrants. It’s right to consider all options.
"If the agreement with Rwanda deters people in France from paying people smugglers to bring them to the UK illegally, then we should welcome it. We cannot go on giving the green light to people trafficking."
Mr Dunne said: “The UK has a generous process for giving asylum, and we welcome thousands of people each year through safe and legal routes. But we cannot allow an illegal system to run in parallel, so we must also have a robust system to deal with those economic migrants who pay people smugglers to enter the country illegally.
"Unfortunately, we have seen the flow of people trafficking cramming economic migrants, mostly single men, onto small boats and sending them off across the Channel, continue to grow. These are people who can afford to pay the smugglers, and leave the safety of France, to come to the UK.
"So it is important the government sends a strong signal to those prepared to risk this illegal and dangerous route, as well as those who seek to profiteer from such desperation, that it does not result in access to refugee status in the UK.”
Mr Williams said: "I am really pleased they have finally published a plan. The challenges of the English Channel have been a long running problem, brought home by the recent Royal Lifeboats being deployed to pick people up from the Channel.
"This is a problem that is not going away.
"I hope it will act as a deterrent so we never really need to use this route."
But Mrs Morgan described the plan as "cynical", and questioned how much it would cost the tax-payer.
She said: "This scheme will cost a staggering amount and is a cynical attempt to distract from Boris Johnson's lies and lawbreaking."
Neither Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin, or Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham, responded to requests for comment.
