Robert Jenrick resigned as immigration minister this evening over the government’s plan to amend the Rwanda scheme. Here is the Prime Minister’s response to Jenrick’s resignation letter:
Thank you for your letter and your service in Government. Your hard work has helped us cut boat crossings by more than a third. You have strived to cut the asylum backlog and return hotels to their communities.
Your resignation is disappointing given we both agreed on the ends, getting flights off to Rwanda so that we can stop the boats. I fear that your departure is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. It is our experience that gives us confidence that this will work. Our returns deal with Albania, that you were instrumental in securing, has cut Albanian arrivals by ninety per cent. These Albanian arrivals have far more recourse to the courts than people will under this new legislation. But we have still succeeded in returning 5,000 illegal migrants this year and cutting the numbers dramatically because it has shown that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.
I fear that your departure is based on a fundamental misunderstanding
This bill is the toughest piece of illegal migration legislation ever put forward by a UK Government.
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