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The new Home Secretary has declared that Rwanda is an \u201cincredibly important\u201d part of the Government\u2019s strategy to prevent small boats from reaching Britain. And he wants to reduce illegal migration to Britain as close to nil as possible.<\/p>\n
Mr Cleverly has faced fury from allies of former home secretary Suella Braverman after declaring flights to Kigali are not \u201cthe be and end all\u201d, prompting fears of a shift after Mrs Braverman\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n
But his \u201cmission to zero\u201d claim is the clearest indication yet of the Home Office\u2019s measure of success in the battle against the smuggling gangs.<\/p>\n
Mr Cleverly, who faced MPs about their concerns over net migration, has also ordered a \u201cmission to control\u201d the number of legal arrivals.<\/p>\n
The Daily Express understands he wants the migration system to be able to plug gaps in the labour workforce, where necessary, but not to spiral out of control. Mr Cleverly told MPs yesterday \u201cThe whole point of having border control\u201d is ensuring migration can support the economy without hitting social cohesion.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cBoth of those things are important. We want to make sure that we are choosing the right people in the right numbers at the right pace \u2013 and I can give the House categoric assurance that will always underpin our thinking with regard to what future changes we might make to the legal migration processes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tory MPs are demanding the Government slash net migration after it hit a record high of 745,000 in the year to December.<\/p>\n
Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis said ministers to restore confidence must be willing to go \u201cfurther and harder, rather than just tinkering\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ministers are considering raising the minimum salary threshold for migrants hoping to come to the UK on skilled-worker visas.<\/p>\n
This could be increased to \u00a335,000 under proposals put forward by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick. The Shortage Occupation List, which allows firms to recruit foreign workers for less than the \u00a326,000 minimum threshold, and a limit on dependents is also being considered.<\/p>\n
But Mr Cleverly, in his first appearance in front of MPs, was forced to defend his stance on the Rwanda deportation scheme.<\/p>\n
The Cabinet minister faced calls from backbenchers for Parliament\u2019s \u201csovereign will\u201d to take precedence over agreements like the European Convention on Human Rights if necessary. Conservative MPs are growing increasingly frustrated over delays to the new treaty with Rwanda and want ministers to \u201cdisapply\u201d the ECHR to new emergency legislation.<\/p>\n
This, they say, would allow the first flights to take off.<\/p>\n
Mr Cleverly was asked by Tory MP Jack Brereton in the Commons whether the necessary \u201clegal exemptions\u201d would be in place to allow flights. The Home Secretary replied: \u201cThe Rwanda scheme is an incredibly important part of the basket of responses that we have.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will do everything to ensure that we drive down small-boat arrivals. That is the promise we have made to the British people and that is the commitment we will deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n