Tory MP Jill Mortimer has unleashed a fiery rant on the state of migration into the UK in a lively House of Commons debate.
Speaking after the release of eye-watering migration stats, Mortimer issued a rallying cry as she demanded Britain not be “turned into the EU”.
It comes amid increased pressure on Rishi Sunak as he faces a revolt over his handling of the crisis.
She asked Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick: “Is it time to realise these well-intentioned international treaties and conventions, agreed 70 years ago, are no longer fit for purpose?
Jill Mortimer wants action on illegal migrants
PARLIAMENT
“We simply cannot accommodate all those who would qualify for asylum under existing rules.
“The world is facing troubled times and more mass migration.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
“Will my right honourable friend ensure to me he will do all he can to raise the bar for those seeking asylum or migration here?
“Look at other solutions to stop people leaving their homelands so those countries can make better futures for themselves without the loss of their young?”
Jenrick responded by praising Mortimer’s “strong point”, adding that while some have “genuine grounds”, for asylum, some are making more “spurious” claims.
He also defended the Government’s record on making it tougher for people to claim asylum, saying “extensive work” has been put into this.
Rishi SunakPA“Last month we added India and Georgia to safe states to speed up the return of those people from the United Kingdom who have arrived illegally”, he added.
“Quite clearly, there is more work to be done and we don’t want to create any additional pull factor to the United Kingdom.”
It comes as Rishi Sunak admitted more action is needed to lower migration levels.
He indicated he would look at the number of dependants students can bring when they come to study in the UK, a figure which has already been limited.
Speaking at the Global Investment Summit at Hampton Court Palace, Sunak said: “I’m very clear that the levels of net migration are too high. They need to come down to more sustainable levels.
“It is encouraging that the Office for National Statistics last week said the numbers are slowing but we need to do more.
“I have already taken action to tighten the number of dependants that students can bring when they come to study here.”
He added: “As we need to do more, we’ll look at that and where there are abuses of the system we will of course act.
“The levels do need to come down, they are too high.”
Official figures published last week showed net migration reached a record 745,000 in 2022, prompting Tory calls for curbs.