Sunday 7 August 2022 11:01 PM Plan to send migrants to Rwanda should be stepped up after surge in Albanians ... trends now
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MPs tonight called on ministers to redouble their efforts to deport migrants to Rwanda following a surge in Albanians using small boats to enter Britain.
Leaked figures have revealed migrants from the Balkan country – a Nato member that wants to join the EU – now make up four in ten arrivals from northern France.
The escalation saw 1,075 Albanians arrive in the UK aboard dinghies and small boats in the six weeks to July 12.
They made up 37.5 per cent of all migrants trafficked to the UK in small boats by gangs during the period – eclipsing all other nationalities including Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis and Syrians.
Tory backbenchers called on the next prime minister to act urgently. Natalie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, said: ‘It’s clear many Albanians coming to the UK in small boats are not fleeing from war or persecution – they are economic migrants. This is blatant criminality and it underlines the urgency of getting on with Rwanda and similar schemes.’
Leaked figures reveal 1,075 Albanians arrived in the UK aboard dinghies and small boats in the six weeks to July 12. They made up 37.5 per cent of all trafficked migrants during the period
The Rwanda scheme was championed by Home Secretary Priti Patel
Tom Hunt, the Tory MP for Ipswich, said the ‘truly eye-opening’ figures ‘underline why it’s so critical that the Government gets on and introduces the Rwanda scheme’, adding: ‘We need to bring this farce to a close. Legislation to bring the Rwanda scheme to fruition should be top of the “in tray” when Parliament gets back after summer recess.’
A source in Liz Truss’s leadership campaign said: ‘Liz has a plan to expand border force, ensure the European Convention on Human Rights works for Britain, and reform modern slavery laws which are