Rishi Sunak vows to clear immigration backlog – but dodges questions on leaving European Convention on Human Rights
Rishi Sunak has repeatedly refused to say whether the UK would have to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to deliver his government’s plan for removing asylum seekers who arrive illegally.
Making his debut appearance at the Commons Liaison Committee, the prime minister was asked by the SNP’s Joanna Cheery whether the UK would have to derogate from the ECHR to fulfil his proposals to curb immigration.
“You will see the legislation next year and no doubt we will have the opportunity to debate it then but I wouldn’t want to speculate on that now,” he said.
Mr Sunak said he welcomes the High Court’s ruling on Monday that the government’s policy of removing asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful.
He told MPs he believes the plans will help tackle the problem of small boats crossing the Channel.
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But the PM refused to be drawn on whether the government’s Rwanda policy would require changes to the Human Rights Act or the UK’s commitment to the ECHR.
Both Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab have said the government may have to consider withdrawing from the ECHR to press ahead successfully with the government’s plans.
“We expect further legal challenge. We will continue to pursue that as necessary,” he said.
“I believe the Rwanda scheme represents an important part of our plan to tackle illegal migration and stop small boats. It is not the only part of it but it is an important part of it. That is why I welcome the court decision yesterday.
“We will introduce legislation in the new year that will achieve the aim I set out. I am confident that we can deliver on that plan and it will make a difference and reduce the number of boats arriving.”
On Monday, Lord Justice Lewis said in his ruling that the controversial policy, introduced under Boris Johnson, was “consistent with the refugee convention”.
However, he said the home secretary should look at people’s “particular circumstances” before deporting them to the central African country.
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Braverman defends Rwanda plan
Making a statement in the Commons after the judgment, the home secretary said the Rwanda policy is a “humane” and “practical alternative” for those who come to the UK through “dangerous, illegal and unnecessary routes”.
“Being relocated to Rwanda is not a punishment, but an innovative way of addressing a major problem to redress the imbalance between illegal and legal migration routes,” she told MPs.
The government announced its Rwanda policy back in April, which would see some asylum seekers who had reached the UK via small boat Channel crossings deported to the country to have their cases processed.
Ms Patel said it would help deter people from making the dangerous journey, but human rights campaigners, charities and opposition parties condemned the plan as inhumane.
The first flight was set to take off in June with four people on board, but was halted after a number of legal challenges and the European Court of Human Rights ruling the plan carried “a real risk of irreversible harm”.
However, both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss insisted they would push ahead with the policy when they took the keys to Number 10.
Meanwhile, the PM also told the Commons Liaison Committee that he was committed to abolishing the backlog of 92,000 asylum claims – as it stood at the end of June 2022 – by the end of the year.
However, the current backlog stands at 117,00.
“I think it would represent one of the most significant reductions in the backlog we have seen. If we can go further I would absolutely love to,” he said.
World
Police in Germany arrest suspected Hamas member who ‘acquired Glock pistols to attack Jewish institutions’
Police in Germany have arrested a suspected Hamas member who allegedly obtained guns and ammunition to attack Jewish targets.
Lebanese-born Borhan El-K was picked up on the motorway after crossing into Germany from the Czech Republic on Tuesday night.
In a statement, the German federal prosecutor’s office alleged in August he had procured an automatic rifle, eight Glock pistols and more than 600 pieces of ammunition in Germany.
It’s claimed the weapons were then handed to Wael FM, another suspected member of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, in Berlin.
Wael FM was arrested with the items on 1 October along with two other men named as Adeb Al G and Ahmad I.
Police officer – file image. Pic: iStock
The men, whose full names have not been released due to German privacy laws, were charged with preparing a serious act of violence endangering the German state and being members of a foreign terrorist organisation.
Authorities believe that the group had been gathering supplies since the summer.
“The weapons were intended for use by Hamas in assassination attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement at the time.
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A source suggested that the first three men were detained when they met for the weapons handover.
The arrests came a day before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Hamas – which is considered a terrorist organisation by the EU – previously denied any connection to the men and said the allegations against it were “baseless”.
Another alleged member of the group, Mohammed A, was arrested on 3 November in London at the request of German police.
He’s accused of taking five handguns and ammunition from Abed Al G and transporting them to Vienna where they were stored.
This morning Danish Police searched premises linked to Borhan El-K and another suspect in and around Copenhagen following Mr El-K’s arrest on Tuesday.
He was due to appear before a judge today.
In February, four suspected Hamas members went on trial in Berlin accused of plotting attacks on Jewish sites in Europe.
Hackers working for the Chinese military and government have been probing Australia’s key infrastructure and telecoms network, warns spy chief.
Mike Burgess, director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, warned Australians could have their water and electricity supplies cut off as well as extensive banking trouble if hackers managed to cause widespread telecoms disruption.
“Foreign governments have elite teams investigating these possibilities right now,” Mr Burgess insisted.
However, China‘s foreign ministry accused Burgess’s statement of spreading false narratives.
Pic: Reuters
The warning demonstrates the difficulty faced by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese in trying to keep China close economically while trying to mitigate security concerns.
Burgess said espionage was estimated to have cost the country A$12.5bn (£6.2bn) last year, including billions in trade secrets and intellectual property.
In particular, he highlighted the activities of the Chinese hacking groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon.
He highlighted how Salt Typhoon had previously penetrated US telecoms systems intending to disrupt operations and pre-position for potential sabotage.
Burgess also warned that Australian companies could be crippled as trade competitors or that elections could be affected.
Chinese officials made complaints to the Australian government and private sector about ASIO whenever he spoke
publicly about China, Burgess said during a speech last week. “It won’t stop my resolve,” he said.
Not the first time alarms have been raised
Concerns were raised in Canberra in February after Chinese warships conducted live-fire drills with minimal warning in the Tasman Sea.
Australian authorities only heard about the drills when a commercial pilot for Virgin Australia notified Airservices Australia.
Chinese frigate Hengyang, one of three vessels involved in the circumnavigation of Australia. Pic: Australian Defense Force /AP
The drills resulted in 49 flights having to change their path.
It was a sombre occasion when the Princess Royal paid tribute to those who gave their lives defending freedom thousands of miles from home.
Under grey skies, Anne joined British and Singaporean veterans in a minute’s silence at the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
She then took a poppy wreath in her hands and laid it at the memorial before taking two steps back.
Princess Anne lays a wreath during Service of Remembrance at the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. Pic: PA
Nearly 4,500 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War, who died defending Singapore and Malaya from Japan, are laid to rest in the cemetery.
Among them is Midshipman James Bremridge, a relative of Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence.
Mr Bremridge, who died aged 18, served aboard HMS Repulse, which was sunk by Japanese aircraft in the South China Sea in December 1941.
Sir Timothy laid a wreath on his grave.
Sir Timothy Laurence, husband of Princess Anne, lays a wreath on the grave of a relative at Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. Pic: PA
During the visit, Anne met staff from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which she heads, and was greeted by its vice chair Peter Hudson.
Commander Tim Curnock of the British Royal Navy read an extract from For the Fallen, before the assembled veterans said “we will remember them” in unison.
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Along with the princess, the presidents of the Singapore Armed Veterans’ League and veterans’ charity Sandbag were also invited to lay wreaths at the memorial.
The piper, who played to mark the occasion, stood at the top of the cemetery overlooking the rows of headstones and saluted after Anne spoke to him.
Princess Anne visits Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. Pic: PA
The two-day visit to Singapore marks 60 years of diplomatic relations with the UK.
The Princess Royal also visited the National Orchid Garden, where a flower was named after her in a short ceremony.
The purple bloom, now called Dendrobium Anne, was “very special” she said.
The Princess Royal with the ‘Dendrobium Anne’ orchid during a visit to the National Orchid Garden in Singapore. Pic: PA
The princess was also shown around the VIP garden, where orchid hybrids named after various heads of state are kept.
She paused to admire one called Dendrobium Elizabeth after her late mother.
Six members of the royal family have had orchids named after them in the garden, including the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2012.
Anne also visited HMS Spey, which has been deployed to the Indo-Pacific region since 2021.
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