Time to put people smugglers out of business for good

THE HOME Secretary has made reform of the UK's broken asylum system a key Government priority, and last week, we reached a significant milestone on our way to reforming our broken asylum system.

- Tom Pursglove

The Nationality and Borders Bill will introduce significant reforms to tackle illegal immigration and last week it entered its first debate for Committee Stage in the House of Lords, taking us significantly closer to transforming the system into one that is fair and firm, that we can be proud of and that the British public has voted for.

As Sunday Express readers know, this is in much need of repair. The system is overwhelmed and has been exploited for too long. These new laws will close many of the loopholes that are exploited by illegal migrants. We will introduce action to verify the ages of asylum-seekers, including age assessments, due to the risks that can be caused by adults posing as children.

Last year we saw several tragic events in the Channel, which sent a clear reminder of how dangerous, unnecessary and sadly sometimes fatal – these crossings can be.

It's a blunt reminder of the lengths these despicable people-smuggling gangs will go to, in order to line their pockets with cash at the expense of others.

Stopping illegal migration is not a choice, it's a moral imperative.