U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to reduce small boat crossings will effectively reverse a ban on child detention implemented under David Cameron and open the door to an expansion of the practice, the Observer reported.
At issue is a recent proposal by Sunak that “is the most drastic migration clampdown yet under the Conservative government, and part of a drive to stem the number of small boat crossings to Britain that have also led to deadly accidents.” (Financial Times, March 10).
“Several senior Tories are particularly worried about changes to the way children will be treated when arriving in the UK, and the way in which the new bill comes close to breaching international law. One former minister told the Observer the changes to rules on children ‘make me sick just to mention’ and would have to be modified,” report Toby Helm and Michael Savage in the Observer.
On March 7, BBC’s Gary Lineker tweeted “Good heavens, this is beyond awful” in response to a video posted on Twitter by the British Home Office announcing the new proposed policy.
Lineker, a former England soccer player, was then suspended by the BBC, but he was reinstated in his role on “Match of the Day” on March 13.
The Immigration and Refugee News Digest 