On 13th December, the Prime Minister made a statement on illegal immigration in which he laid out five steps to tackling Channel crossings and asylum backlogs. The five steps announced were:
- A new agreement with Albania to ensure Albanian claimants are removed.
- A new, permanent, unified Small Boats Operational Command in the channel with 700 new staff.
- Tougher immigration enforcement with 200 new staff and better data sharing with banks.
- Cheaper accommodation sites so we can move migrants out of expensive hotels.
- Clear the initial asylum backlog by 2023 by doubling the number of caseworkers and radically streamlining the process.
Following this, Laura welcomed the announcements and asked the Prime Minister about how this plan would ensure a "sufficiently robust evidential threshold" to prevent asylum seekers from falsifying their claims.
Laura's question was a reflection on the issue raised by Dan O'Mahoney, the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, at a Home Affairs Select Committee session that Laura attended. At the session, Dan O'Mahoney acknowledged that many of those that cross the Channel illegally attempt to conceal their true identity by disposing of ID documents (and other so-called 'pocket litter'). You can read Dan O'Mahoney's evidence here.