AS the Prime Minister overtook doomed Liz Truss’s 49 days in power, he yesterday staked his reputation on seizing control of the migrant crisis and strikes.
Speaking to Trending In The News on a visit to the National Crime Agency, Rishi Sunak said: “I can understand your readers are weary and they hear things all the time from politicians, right? What I want to do is just deliver things.
Rishi Sunak spoke of a blizzard of new laws in January that include tightening borders
The PM has suggested alternatives to migrants being housed in hotels, noting that the Netherlands already uses cruise ships
Sunak spoke to Trending In The News’s political editor Harry Cole
“And that means having proper control of our borders, getting the backlogs down and moving people out of hotels.”
On the strikes crippling the country, Mr Sunak insisted: “I’m prepared to introduce new tough laws that protect people’s lives and minimise the disruption. It’s not right what’s happening.”
As for Channel crossings, the PM warned migrants could be housed on disused cruise liners if it works out cheaper than hotels, saying: “We’re looking at a range of different options”.
He pointed out Scotland and the Netherlands “do use cruise ships, so we should look at all options”.
However he insisted: “They just need to be deliverable relatively quickly. They need to be practical and they need to be cheaper than hotels.”
Asked why anyone should believe him, after 12 years of empty promises, Mr Sunak said: “I share people’s frustration. I share their anger because what’s happening isn’t right and it’s not fair.”
“And I want to be honest, that it is not an easy problem to fix. It’s a complicated problem. There’s not one simple solution that will deal with it overnight. It would be wrong to say that.
“I think what people can take away from today is that they’ve got a Prime Minister who is deeply committed to gripping this issue and stopping the boats.
“And how can you believe that or have more confidence in it now?
“I’ve had this job for seven weeks and we’ve reached a new agreement with France which is already making a significant difference.
“We have 40 per cent more French officers patrolling the beaches and more intelligence cooperation.
“We’ve got more cooperation with all our other northern European allies and a brand new deal with Albania, which will mean that we can swiftly detain and return illegal migrants from Albania back to what is a safe and prosperous country.
“It’s what everyone thinks should be happening, it’s what the Albanian prime minister thinks should be happening. And our new deal would deliver that.
“I’ve done all of that in seven weeks, with a commitment for new legislation which we’re working on, which will mean that if you come here illegally you will not have the right to stay and you will be sent back to either your own home or a safe alternative.
“That’s reasonable. It’s fair. It’s what your readers want and it’s what I want and I want to deliver.”
