New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is "hard as nails" and will tackle the Channel crossing crisis, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told GB News just days after 1,097 small boat migrants arrived on British shores.
In an interview with the People's Channel, Mr Streeting declared: “I think it reflects the Home Secretary's determination to grip this problem and to secure our borders, and I'm afraid we do have to take a tougher line on this.
“We have seen a whole range of approaches taken by our predecessors that simply haven't worked, haven't been effective enough, and it's led to people losing confidence in the immigration system.
“And when I say losing confidence, of course, we've had the high-profile issue of the boats. But also, people need to have confidence that the legal system, the visa system, is also working as well.
Wes Streeting has admitted that it is time to 'get tough'
|GB NEWS
“Shabana Mahmood is as hard as nails, and whether it is tackling disorder and lawlessness on our streets or tackling the insecurity at our borders, you can expect a tough and effective approach from this Home Secretary.”
However, Ms Mahmood's first day in the Home Office did not get off to a good start, with 1,097 migrants reaching British shores across 17 vessels on Saturday alone.
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The latest wave of arrivals brings the year's total to 30,100 people, marking a record high for this stage of any year.
However, Ms Mahmood has responded by threatening to halt visa issuance to nations that refuse cooperation on migrant returns.
During discussions with Five Eyes intelligence partners about combating smuggling networks, Ms Mahmood stated: "For countries that do not play ball, we've been talking about how we can take much more coordinated action between the Five Eyes countries."
She added: "For us, that means including possibly, the cutting of visas in the future."
Ms Mahmood branded the arrival figures "utterly unacceptable" and indicated that deportations under a recently finalised agreement with France would commence "imminently".
Sir Keir Starmer's Government has revealed intentions to modify how Britain applies the European Convention on Human Rights, whilst maintaining membership of the treaty.
Ms Mahmood said: "In the end, this is about how you strike the balance between human rights, on the one hand, and securing our borders.
"I do think that that balance isn't in the right place at the moment."
The new Home Secretary said the deal will start 'imminently' | REUTERSShe announced: "That's why we will come forward with changes to our domestic legislation and the guidance in terms of how we apply some of the convention rights legally here at home."
However, the Home Secretary ruled out withdrawal from the ECHR, explaining that departure would create "other consequences that we think are not in our national interest."
Instead, she advocated for "reform primarily in our domestic legal framework, tightening up the rules."