Rishi: I Will Do What It Takes To Stop Boats

RISHI Sunak will today vow to do everything to curb the migrant crisis - including spending up to £6billion.

- Martyn Brown

The Prime Minister will use a major speech to renew his promise to end small boat crossings of the Channel and tackle the asylum backlog.

But he is coming under mounting pressure over the Conservative Party's migration pledges as the number of legal and illegal migrants coming to the UK continues to rocket.

His address in Dover comes as it emerged thousands of asylum seekers across the country will be told to share hotel rooms to save taxpayers £250million.

But he is willing to spend as much as £6billion to finally get the problem under control.

It comes after the Home Office's assessment suggests that detaining and deporting people will cost between £3billion and £6billion over the next two years.

Mr Sunak has made stopping the boats carrying migrants across the Channel one of his five pledges before next year's general election.

He regards it as particularly critical to winning over voters in the Red Wall seats of the Midlands and the North. He will spell out the progress made in the six months since he introduced the Illegal Migration Bill in his speech today.

In the past few months the Government has unveiled plans to crack down on who can claim asylum, as well as pushing to deport applicants to Rwanda.

It has also beefed up border allegiances with France - and it was claimed yesterday there has been a 40 per cent increase in small boats stopped since last year.

The Government has also entered into a number of repatriation schemes with other countries, notably Albania, to speed up returns.

Plans to house migrants in barges and former military bases have also been unveiled.