Failing to tackle the small boats problem would be “destructive” to people’s faith in politics, Lord David Cameron has said.
The Foreign Secretary said the Government’s Rwanda legislation was “the best Bill to get the job done” as he urged rebellious Tory MPs to back it.
In a Telegraph interview, Lord Cameron suggested the Foreign Office could do more to support Rishi Sunak’s promise to “stop the boats”.
He suggested the Foreign Office could “get migration dialogues going with countries where some of their citizens are coming in small boats to Britain, and we should help”.
Lord Cameron said it was vital to tackle the problem of migrants boarding boats to cross the English Channel.
“Having very visible illegal migration is incredibly destructive to a country’s legal migration and immigration system, and it’s also destructive to people’s view of the ability of politicians and governments to act on their behalf,” he said.
The Safety of Rwanda Bill is set to return to the Commons in the new year, where Mr Sunak will face a battle to win support from both the Tory right who want it toughened to sideline international courts and more centrist Conservatives who are anxious about preserving the UK’s law-abiding reputation.
“It’s the best Bill to get the job done, and I think it’s a mistake to think in terms of ‘ooh, is it full-fat or half-fat?’ It’s designed to deliver the policy,” Lord Cameron said.
He insisted the European Convention on Human Rights “was not the issue” currently preventing deportation flights to Rwanda.
But looking back to his time as prime minister, he said: “If you’re asking me my view about the ECHR, I will point you to the battle over prisoner votes where the ECHR said I had to do something. I said ‘no I don’t’, and they backed down.”
