MIGRANTS who arrive illegally “shouldn’t get rights”, Grant Shapps declared yesterday.
The Business Secretary said they should be treated differently to asylum seekers who do not use traffickers.
Mr Shapps told Sky’s Sophy Ridge that those who buy expensive tickets from people smugglers should not be afforded the same asylum rights as others
His warning came as Tories piled pressure on Rishi Sunak to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The PM has privately said he is willing to leave the ECHR if it frustrates his migrant crackdown.
And yesterday Mr Shapps told Sky’s Sophy Ridge that those who buy expensive tickets from people smugglers should not be afforded the same asylum rights as others.
He said: “I think the direction is quite straightforward. You shouldn’t get rights if you come through illegal routes.”
Mr Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman are finalising plans to strip appeals rights from those who arrive illegally.
But insiders fear Euro judges will try to thwart the plan.
Tory MP Lee Anderson called on the PM to quit the ECHR to “restore sovereignty to Westminster”.
Some 218 migrants arrived in four boats on Saturday.
A record 45,000 crossed the Channel last year, but just 135 people were charged with helping them make the journey.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We’ve arrested more than 320 people since we strengthened the law in June, and we remain committed to removing those who flout our laws.”
