Eight in 10 Britons doubt that the Conservative government led by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be able to reduce the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats, with 34% of citizens being "not very confident" and 46% being "not at all confident" in the authorities' success, a YouGov poll showed on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) Eight in 10 Britons doubt that the Conservative government led by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be able to reduce the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats, with 34% of citizens being "not very confident" and 46% being "not at all confident" in the authorities' success, a YouGov poll showed on Tuesday.
The number of doubters is 80% among 2019 Conservative voters and 85% among 2019 Labour voters, the pollster specified.
For comparison, just one in eleven, or 9% of citizens believe that the UK authorities will reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to the country via the English Channel on small boats, the survey revealed. The figure includes only 1% who feel "very" confident, YouGov said.
Likewise, three quarters, or 73%, doubt that the government will eventually push its idea to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda through the court and bring it to life. This includes 77% of Conservative voters and 74% of Labour voters, the poll showed. For comparison, only 12% allow for the possibility that asylum seekers will ever be deported to Rwanda.
YouGov also established that UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who proposed sending migrants to Rwanda, has a net favourability rating of -43, which makes her one of the least popular politicians in the United Kingdom. As many as 49% of Britons express disappointment with Braverman's work versus 13% who view her performance positively.
In general, 83% of UK citizens believe that the government is handling immigration badly, and 72% hold the same opinion when it comes to crime and policing. For comparison, just 7% and 15% respectively believe the authorities are doing a good job.
The poll was conducted from July 31 to August 1 among 2,021 UK adult citizens. The margin of error is not specified.
Illegal migration has been a pressing issue for the UK for years and intensified after the country left the European Union in 2020. In April 2022, the UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement, stipulating that people recognized by the UK government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for the processing of their documents, obtaining asylum, and relocation.
The first deportation of migrants to Rwanda was scheduled for June 14. However, the flight was canceled at the last moment after the European Court of Human Rights granted an appeal to all the asylum seekers on board. The UK reportedly paid Rwanda 120 million Pounds ($145 million) for the failed relocation of illegal migrants to the country and was not happy with the court's decision.
In March 2023, Braverman presented a bill that seeks to relocate migrants who came to the UK illegally by boats across the English Channel to a "safe third country" like Rwanda. Asylum in the UK will only be granted in exceptional cases and within a yearly quota. Later in the month, the UK and Rwanda signed an updated version of the migration agreement, preparing for the implementation of Braverman's plan.
However, in late June 2023, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that London's plan to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda was unlawful. Sunak vowed to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.
