Priti Patel urged to be ‘tough to be kind’ as she unveils sweeping border reforms

PRITI Patel was urged to be “tough to be kind” yesterday as she unveiled sweeping border reforms.

Under the changes, people who arrive illegally will no longer have the same claim to asylum as those who arrive through proper channels.

The Home Secretary told MPs: “UK asylum should be based on need, not the ability to pay people smugglers.”

She insisted that those entering from safe countries such as France are “not seeking refuge from persecution”, but instead choosing where to go at the expense of people who have no other option.

Ms Patel revealed that 87 per cent of arrivals last year were men, with 74 per cent aged 18 to 39.

She added: “We should ask ourselves, where are the vulnerable women and children that this system should exist to protect?”

Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh asked Ms Patel if she is prepared to be “really tough in order to be kind”.

He told the Commons: “Our present asylum system is a complete joke.

“Every young man living in misery in a failed state knows that if he manages to reach our shores the chances of him being deported are virtually zero.

“There is no point of introducing more and more penalties, more and more laws unless we are prepared to deport people.”

Britain does not need French help to stem the tide of illegal immigrants under this border shake-up, Westminster insiders said yesterday.

Home Office officials are confident they will be able to send failed asylum seekers to “safe countries” outside of Europe if they fail to secure an agreement with our closest ally.

But officials have not ruled out securing a deal with the French to cut off the dangerous smuggling routes, with Ms Patel warning the EU it has a “moral duty” to help.