Rishi Sunak’s Tough Talk Won't Stop Migrant Boats
The UK is rolling out yet another deterrence policy with little chance of success.
A message too often falling on deaf ears.
Photographer: SUSANNAH IRELAND/AFPWith his post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is building a reputation as a leader who mastered the detail of complex policy areas and displays a knack for finding technocratic fixes. It would be some feat if he could bring those qualities to bear to solve a problem that has eluded even more governments than Brexit.
The government is preparing to announce a new law aimed at stopping small boats of migrants crossing the English Channel, one of Sunak’s five priorities for this year. Perhaps once again Sunak will surprise on the upside. But unlike with Northern Ireland, the migrant issue doesn’t lend itself to a Big Bang announcement; solutions can’t be put in place with the stroke of a pen.