British PM says he will end deportation plan

New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not continue with the previous government’s deportation plan to send irregular migrants to Rwanda in East Africa. The statement was made during his first speech to journalists, this Saturday (6.Jul.2024).

Starmer’s government also proposed during the election campaign to maintain the “safe borders” and prioritize a new border security command. The leader said it was necessary to combat the “mafias” that support these arrivals. The information is from Reuters.

“[O plano] ewas dead and buried before it began”, said the politician before declaring that he was not willing to “continue with tricks that don’t work as a deterrent”.

Thousands of people have arrived in Britain in recent years, fleeing war and social inequality in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. They make the crossing via the English Channel in small boats on trips organised by people-smuggling gangs.

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tried to implement the measure to send migrants to Rwanda, but encountered political resistance from human rights organizations.

“Everyone realized, especially the gangs that run this, that the chance of going to Rwanda was very small, less than 1%. The chances were of not going, of not being prosecuted and therefore staying here in paid accommodation for a long time.”these Starmers.

Who is Keir Starmer?

Keir Starmer (pronounced -se “KÍ-r STÁR-mer”), 61, is the first Labour MP to hold the position in 14 years. The party’s last leader was Gordon Brown, from 2007 to 2010. The new prime minister represents the London boroughs of Holborn and St Pancras in the House of Commons.

Lawyer, his career began to gain prominence when he was appointed in 2008 “director of public prosecutions” of England and Wales. The position is known by the acronym DPP and is part of the British Public Prosecution Service. The DPP is in charge of criminal prosecutions and is second only to the Attorney General, with the power to initiate an investigation. Starmer held the position until 2013. In 2014 he was awarded the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (“knight commander of the Order of the Bath”), granted by the then Prince Charles (who is now the King of England).

A reserved and late-blooming politician, Starmer was first elected MP at the age of 52, in 2015. He is called a leftist by his opponents, but is considered more moderate than Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader whom he succeeded as leader of the party in April 2020.