Rishi Sunak concedes small boat crossings will not be stopped ‘overnight’
Rishi Sunak has conceded his plan to stop small boats “won’t happen overnight” as he was pushed on the timescale for fulfilling his pledge.
The prime minister promised in January to end migrant Channel crossings when outlining his five priorities for his first year in office.
But asked by ConservativeHome if he would achieve that by the next general election – widely expected to take place in 2024 – Mr Sunak appeared to dodge the question.
Politics live: Boris Johnson’s downfall ‘not my doing’, claims Sunak
The government has announced controversial plans to tackle the issue in its Illegal Migration Bill, currently making its way through parliament.
The legislation includes a promise to “detain and swiftly remove” migrants and asylum seekers who enter the country illegally via the dangerous Channel crossings, and a pledge to cut the options to challenge or appeal deportation.
But critics have described the plans as “unworkable”, questioned whether they adhere to international human rights laws and raised concerns about how children will be treated.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have voted against the bill in the Commons.
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What is new small boats bill?
In the sit-down interview with the website’s editor, the PM said: “I’ve always said this is not something that is easy – it is a complicated problem where there’s no single, simple solution that will fix it – and I’ve also said it won’t happen overnight.
“I’ve been very clear about that.”
Mr Sunak added: “People should know it’s very important to me, it’s hugely important to the country that we need to fix the system, as a matter of fairness.
“It’s not fair that people are breaking the rules and coming here illegally.”
The PM also said he expected legal battles over the bill as it included measures that were “novel, untested and ambitious”.
However, he promised to fight in them in the courts, adding: “You have to expect legal challenge on these things, our job is to robustly defend them and that’s what we’ll do.”
Johnson’s downfall ‘wasn’t my doing’
Mr Sunak was also asked about his role in ousting Boris Johnson from Downing Street last summer.
Then-chancellor, he was the second cabinet minister to resign over Mr Johnson’s conduct in office, with tens of others following suit, eventually leading to Mr Johnson’s downfall.
But Mr Sunak said his predecessor’s departure “wasn’t my doing” and he had resigned for reasons “personal” to him – namely a “fundamental difference on economic policy”.
His resignation letter to Mr Johnson did mention economics, but it also said: “The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.
“I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”
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Boris Johnson alluded to his own future in typically figurative style as he left Downing Street.
Mr Sunak urged Conservatives to move on from the infighting, saying: “I think we’ve got to, as a party, look forward.
“I said that on the first day I became prime minister, I said to the party ‘we’ve got to unite or die”.
Asked if there would ever be room for Mr Johnson in his cabinet, the now-PM said he would not comment on appointments but “we’ve got a great team and they are focused on delivering”.
World
Putin wasn’t at the White House, but his influence was – the moments which reveal his hold over Trump
Vladimir Putin wasn’t at the White House but his influence clearly was. At times, it dominated the room.
There were three key moments that revealed the Russian president‘s current hold over Donald Trump.
The first was in the Oval Office. Sitting alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president told reporters: “I don’t think you need a ceasefire.”
Ukraine talks latest: Zelenskyy ‘ready to meet’ Putin after Trump summit
Vladimir Putin shaking hands with Donald Trump when they met last week. Pic: Reuters
It was a stunning illustration of Mr Trump’s about-face in his approach to peace. For the past six months, a ceasefire has been his priority, but after meeting Mr Putin in Alaska, suddenly it’s not.
Confirmation that he now views the war through Moscow’s eyes.
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Trump applauds Putin and shares ride in ‘The Beast’ last week
The second was the format itself, with Mr Trump reverting to his favoured ask-what-you-like open-ended Q&A.
In Alaska, Mr Putin wasn’t made to take any questions – most likely, because he didn’t want to. But here, Mr Zelenskyy didn’t have a choice. He was subjected to a barrage of them to see if he’d learnt his lesson from last time.
It was a further demonstration of the special status Mr Trump seems to afford to Mr Putin.
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The third was their phone call. Initially, President Trump said he’d speak to the Kremlin leader after his meeting with European leaders. But it turned out to be during it.
A face-to-face meeting with seven leaders was interrupted for a phone call with one – as if Mr Trump had to check first with Mr Putin, before continuing his discussions.
We still don’t know the full details of the peace proposal that’s being drawn up, but all this strongly suggests that it’s one sketched out by Russia. The White House is providing the paper, but the Kremlin is holding the pen.
Read more:
Four key takeaways from the White House Ukraine summit
Trump has taken peace talks a distance not seen since the war began
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Trump, Zelenskyy and the suit: What happened?
For Moscow, the aim now is to keep Mr Trump on their path to peace, which is settlement first, ceasefire later.
It believes that’s the best way of securing its goals, because it has more leverage so long as the fighting continues.
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But Mr Putin will be wary that Mr Trump is pliable and can easily change his mind, depending on the last person he spoke to.
So to ensure that his sympathies aren’t swayed, and its red lines remain intact, Russia will be straining to keep its voice heard.
On Monday, for example, the Russian foreign ministry was quick to condemn recent comments from the UK government that it would be ready to send troops to help enforce any ceasefire.
It described the idea as “provocative” and “predatory”.
Moscow is trying to drown out European concerns by portraying itself as the party that wants peace the most, and Kyiv (and Europe) as the obstacle.
But while Mr Zelenskyy has agreed to a trilateral meeting, the Kremlin has not. After the phone call between Mr Putin and Mr Trump, it said the leaders discussed “raising the level of representatives” in the talks between Russia and Ukraine. No confirmation to what level.
World
Trump is playing both sides – but has taken peace talks a distance not seen since the war began
Talks between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders have taken place at the White House, aimed at finding an end to the war in Ukraine.
On the agenda were US security guarantees, whether a ceasefire is required, and a potential summit between the Ukrainian president and Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy ready to meet Putin – follow latest
Here’s what three of our correspondents made of it all.
For Trump
For Mr Trump, the challenge to remain seen as the deal-broker is to maintain “forward momentum, through devilish detail,” Sky News’ US correspondent James Matthews says.
The US president called the Washington summit a “very good early step”, but that’s all it was, Matthews says.
Despite cordiality with Mr Zelenskyy and promising talk of a US role in security guarantees for Ukraine and discussions for meetings to come. Matthews says the obstacles remain.
“Trump has taken peace discussions to a distance not travelled since the start of the war, but it is a road navigated by a president playing both sides who have changed his mind on key priorities.”
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Zelenskyy, Trump and the suit
For Putin
As for Russia, Sky News’ Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett says the aim is to keep Trump on its preferred path towards peace – a deal first, a ceasefire later.
“Moscow believes that’s the best way of securing all of its goals,” Bennett says.
But Ukraine and Europe want things the other way round, and Moscow “will be wary that Trump can be easily persuaded by the last person he spoke to”.
And so, Russia will be “trying to keep themselves heard” and “cast Kyiv as the problem, as they won’t agree to a peace deal on the Kremlin’s terms”.
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What’s Putin’s next move? Sky’s Ivor Bennett explains
For the UK and Europe
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates says, for Sir Keir Starmer and Europe, the biggest success of the Washington summit was the US promise of security guarantees for Ukraine.
He adds that the “hard work starts now to actually try to figure out what these guarantees amount to”.
Sir Keir said if Vladimir Putin breaches a future peace deal, there would have to be consequences, but Coates said potentially “insoluble” issues stand in the way.
“At what point do those breaches invoke a military response, whether US guarantees would be enough to encourage European involvement in Ukraine, and whether or not you could see the UK and Europe going to war with Russia to protect Ukraine?”
Coates says “there may never be an answer that satisfies everyone involved”.
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