The irregular arrival of migrants and
refugees to Lampedusa is unsustainable and immoral, British
prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday.
"(Former Conservative prime minister Margaret) Thatcher
understood that ideas are only important if they can be
implemented," Conservative Sunak told the Atreju political
festival of Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of
Italy (FdI) party in Rome.
"She never backed down even when the fight was hard, and today
we have to apply Thatcher's radicalism to illegal immigration,"
he continued.
"Our opponents want to put their heads in the sand and let the
problem go away on its own, but it doesn't work that way," said
Sunak.
"Go to Lampedusa, where 50% of immigrants arrived this year: it
is no longer sustainable, it is not right and it is immoral," he
added.
Sunak also said the controversial Britain-Rwanda migrant
agreement and the recent deal between Italy and Albania both
aimed to "disrupt the business model" of human traffickers.
"If this requires us to update our laws and have conversations
at the international level to create a framework on political
asylum so be it, because if we don't manage this problem today
the migrant boats will continue to arrive," he insisted.
"We have to make the deterrent work.
"If migrants come to Italy or Britain illegally they will not be
allowed to stay, it must be clear," he added.
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