Speaking at the Conservative party conference currently underway in Birmingham, the home secretary Suella Braverman honed in on her plans for immigration in the UK, saying “it’s not racist to want to control our borders”.
Braverman said that she will pull forward legislation to ensure that all illegal migration is put to an end, pushing legislation that will “make it clear that the only route to the United Kingdom is through a safe and legal route”.
She added that the majority of small boat crossings are from Albania, somewhere she referred to as a “safe country”. “If you enter the United Kingdom illegally from a safe country, you will be swiftly returned to your home country or relocated to Rwanda”, explained the home secretary.
Braverman went on to address the increase in modern slavery claims. She said that migrants use this reason as a pass to enter the country, and that “many of them are not modern slaves, and their claims of being trafficked are lies”.
Addressing the backlash her predecessor Priti Patel received when her and Boris Johnson introduced the Rwanda policy, Braverman said that there are “many forces” against her who will make her efforts difficult. Amongst these forces, she cited the Labour party, the Lib Dems and The Guardian.
The home secretary received a standing ovation to her speech, and was met with raucous applause throughout.
