Use British embassies for safe and legal asylum routes to UK in new migration plan, say centrist Tories

British embassies and consulates overseas should be used to develop safe and legal asylum routes to the UK as part of a broader plan to tackle “irregular” migration, centrist Tories urged on Thursday.

They also stressed the need for “pragmatic solutions, not Right-wing rhetoric” just days after Conservative hardliners urged Rishi Sunak to toughen his immigration policy.

The Conservative European Forum published a report outlining a more comprehensive plan than the Government’s blueprint with its focus on deportation flights to Rwanda.

The proposals in the study by former immigration minister Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate includes:

* Developing safe and legal asylum routes to Britain through greater use of embassies and consulates overseas.

* Reducing the rate of successful asylum claims in the UK to “European norms”.

* Negotiating a mutually beneficial migration agreement with the European Union similar to the one that Brussels struck with Turkey, which has seen many asylum seekers and economic migrants arriving on Greek islands returned to Turkey.

* Using carrot and stick approach to expand returns agreements, such as the one struck with Albania.

* Expanding bilateral co-operation with countries both within and outside the EU similar to that with Italy.

* Co-operating with the EU to invest upstream to deter migration at source.

* A clearer plan to invest in integration initiatives for accepted migrants.

Former Cabinet minister Sir David Lidington, chairman of the CEF, stressed the importance of Britain adhering to international standards, with Home Secretary James Cleverly unable to say whether the Government’s flagship Rwanda plan would abide by human rights laws.

Sir David added: “We need to address the complex issue of irregular migration, a challenge that is not unique to the United Kingdom but is shared across the European continent.

“Whatever policy options our Government pursues, adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights and International Law must remain paramount at all times. Our approach must be both humane and legally sound. Importantly, we need pragmatic solutions, not Right-wing rhetoric.”

His comments came just days after Right-wing Tory MPs gathered at a Popular Conservatives’ gathering in central London where they pushed for tougher action to tackle the “small boats” crisis in the Channel, with thousands of asylum seekers and economic migrants risking their lives to cross the busy shipping waterway in often unseaworthy inflatable vessels.

Some of them have argued that Britain should disregard the European Convention on Human Rights to allow more hardline policies to reduce immigration.

But Stephen Hammond, the centrist Conservative MP for Wimbledon, highlighted the need for a broad strategy.

He said: “As the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have made clear, the Rwanda policy is not a ‘silver bullet’ to prevent channel crossings.

“We need a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to irregular migration. The report today presents a series of constructive and balanced proposals that could support the government in ‘stopping the boats’.”

The CEF stressed that the Turkey deal with the EU saw a 90 per cent reduction in sea crossings to Greek islands by migrants.

It added that the UK has one of the highest rates in Europe of successful asylum claims, at 76 per cent, compared to Germany (65 per cent), Italy (48 per cent), and France (28 per cent).

The Government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill aims to limit judicial challenges to its deportation plan, and seeks to compel judges to regard Rwanda as a secure haven.

But Conservative former solicitor general Lord Garnier has compared the legislation, which tries to assert Rwanda to be safe for asylum seekers from Britain, as like ruling “all dogs are cats”.

Peers are expected to put forward several amendments to the bill but not to block it and it is expected to clear Parliament by mid to late March.

Lord Kirkhope stressed: “Dealing with irregular migration requires us to move beyond one-dimensional solutions and adopt a constructive, workable strategy.

“It’s like a toolbox – we need to know which tools to use, how to use them properly and when, ensuring a balanced and effective approach. A carrot and a stick approach is key.”