Reform UK’s candidate for the 2028 London Mayoral election, Laila Cunningham, has launched a scathing attack on the bilateral migration deal between Britain and France, describing the arrangement as “almost farcical”.
Speaking to GB News, Ms Cunningham argued that the agreement has comprehensively “failed” to reduce Channel crossings.
“The numbers have not decreased, the numbers are increasing,” she said.
The mayoral hopeful pointed to what she characterised as a fundamental imbalance in the deal’s structure.
“We’ve given France a veto over who they’re allowed to take, but we don’t get a veto over who they are allowed to take back,” Ms Cunningham argued.
She described this asymmetric arrangement as “actually quite embarrassing” for the United Kingdom.
Ms Cunningham addressed the legal framework that governs how those crossing the Channel are classified, pointing to the 1954 Refugee Convention as the central obstacle.
“You can’t call them illegal migrants because they’re refugees,” she stated.
Laila Cunnginham has hit out at Keir Starmer’s handling of Britain’s illegal migrant crisis
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GB NEWS / PA
The convention stipulates that individuals cannot face punishment based on their method of arrival, with asylum seeker status granted immediately upon claiming refuge.
“You’re an asylum seeker as soon as you land, as soon as you state the word asylum,” Ms Cunningham explained.
She highlighted the high rate at which claims are being approved, arguing this explains why processing backlogs have diminished.
“What is the acceptance rate for Afghanistan? I have it right here, it’s over 80 to 90 per cent,” the Reform UK candidate said.
The Home Office are spending a staggering £1.2million a year to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats | GETTY
Ms Cunningham contended that successive governments have prioritised international partnerships and global treaties over the welfare of British citizens.
“Reform UK is the only party that’s saying we have to disallow the Refugee Convention and the ECHR, because they are not compatible with the safety of women and girls in this country or the safety of this country in general,” she declared.
The mayoral candidate positioned her party as uniquely willing to withdraw from these longstanding international frameworks.
She argued that Britain’s continued adherence to these agreements has left the country unable to adequately protect its population.
According to Ms Cunningham, both the current administration and its predecessors have failed to recognise this fundamental incompatibility between international obligations and domestic security concerns.
Ms Cunningham outlined her party’s proposed approach to those arriving without authorisation, advocating for immediate incarceration followed by removal from the country.
Ms Cunningham told GB News that illegal migrants should ‘simply be detained and deported’
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GB NEWS
“If you land on our shores, you will be detained and deported. Simple as that,” she stated.
The candidate pledged that Reform UK would rapidly construct detention facilities, whether located domestically or offshore.
She criticised the current system that permits arrivals to move freely while their identities remain unverified.
Ms Cunningham also took aim at the treatment of rejected applicants, noting that only one in six unsuccessful claimants are actually removed from Britain.
“Even failed claims do not get deported,” she said, adding that these individuals continue to receive accommodation funded by taxpayers.
“They need to know that if they arrive on our shores, there is no hope for them to get anything from this country,” Ms Cunningham concluded.
A Home Office spokesman told GB News: “After record high levels of migration under the previous government, net migration has fallen by 82 per cent.
“Whilst holding a sponsorship license is no guarantee of a visa, we will never tolerate abuse. That is why we have tightened requirements, including doubling the length of time employers who commit repeat offences are prevented from sponsoring workers.
“Meanwhile, skilled sponsor revocations are up, more than 100 occupations have been cut from overseas recruitment access and the skilled salary threshold raised.”