Migrants who try to reach Britain by boat face being locked up then deported

MIGRANTS who try to reach Britain by boat face being locked up then deported under a tough new crackdown.

Strict laws will make it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK knowingly without permission to be here.

Cops will get powers to detain those picked up before they land.

Home Secretary Priti Patel believes it will make migrants think twice about paying people smugglers to make unlawful Channel crossings from France.

The measures are part of a “fair but firm” system which forms the Nationality and Borders Bill that will go before the Commons on Tuesday.

Under the proposed laws, “asylum shopping” — entering Britain via an illegal route — will become a crime punishable by up to four years’ jail.

The maximum sentence for people smuggling will be increased from 14 years to life.

Crucially, the law will include the words “arriving in the UK without a valid entry clearance”.

That will allow prosecution of migrants intercepted in British waters who do not technically “enter” the UK.

Those jailed can be deported after their sentence.

Ms Patel said: “The bill contains vital measures to fix the UK’s broken asylum system.

“Our new plan for immigration is fair but firm. We will welcome people through safe and legal routes while preventing abuse of the system and cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it.”

More than 8,000 people crossed the Channel to Britain in small boats last year.