Government introduces a new plan to stop migrants coming to the UK illegally

The government says it wants to tackle the number of people entering the UK illegally

The UK government has announced plans for a new law aiming to stop migrants coming to the UK illegally - and it's causing a row.

Under the new measures, known as the Illegal Migration Bill, those who come to the UK without permission, including migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats, will be detained and removed from the country.

Migrants who attempt to illegally enter the UK will also be banned from coming back in the future and they won't be able to apply for British citizenship.

Opposition parties have spoken out against the plans with Labour MPs calling it a policy "that depends on dehumanising some of the most vulnerable people on earth", and Liberal Democrats calling the Bill "immoral".

Human rights organisations are also unhappy about what's been proposed, with the Refugee Council saying the plans break the UK's commitments to the UN Human Rights Convention.

Setting out the government's plans in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the home secretary Suella Braverman said, "For a government not to respond to waves of illegal arrivals breaching our borders would be to betray the will of the people we are elected to serve,"

"Unless we act today, the problem will be worse tomorrow."

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said stopping migrants crossing the English Channel in boats was one of his top priorities

Why has the Illegal Migration Bill been announced?

The announcement of new bill follows increasing pressures faced by the government to tackle the migrant situation in the UK.

More than 45,000 people are said to have entered the UK via Channel crossings - the sea between France and the UK - last year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who made stopping illegal Channel crossings one of his top priorities, recently told the Mail on Sunday: "I am determined to deliver on my promise to stop the boats. Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay."

How does the government say the new migration bill will work?

Home secretary Suella Braverman announced plans for the new bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday

Although the full details of the new Illegal Migration Bill aren't known yet, we do know it will place a duty on the home secretary to remove anyone arriving to the UK on a small boat "as soon as reasonably practicable" and it will also ban them from returning permanently.

Those who enter the UK illegally will either be sent back to their own country, or if this is unsafe, to what the government describe as a "safe third country" - currently Rwanda.

Although it will be several months before the bill becomes law, it will apply retrospectively. This means anyone who arrives illegally from other countries could be at risk of being deported and banned from the UK from Tuesday 7 March, when the new law was announced.

Those under the age of 18, and people with serious medical conditions or who are at risk of serious harm are the only groups who will be able to delay being removed from the UK, the home secretary said.

What are the current rules around people coming to the UK?

Some people in the UK believe migrants should be able to come freely

The current rules around migrants can be quite complicated.

Since June last year, it has been illegal for migrants to deliberately enter the UK without a visa or special permission.

People who do so can be jailed for up to four years and removed to a safe country.

However, asylum seekers who come to the UK have the right to seek protection under international law.

An asylum seeker is someone who has left their country and is seeking shelter or protection in another country.

If their application is successful, asylum seekers are allowed to remain in the country they've gone to, for example the UK. If their application is refused they can be removed, although it is possible to appeal.

At the moment there is a big backlog, with about 166,000 asylum seekers currently waiting for a decision on their application.

How will the new migrant law impact refugees?

Under the new laws, those who enter the UK illegally will be banned permanently

Suella Braverman also said during her speech on Tuesday that the Illegal Migration Bill will introduce on cap on the number of refugees that can resettle in the UK via "safe and legal routes" each year, and this cap will be decided by Parliament.

"This will ensure an orderly system, considering Local Authority capacity for housing, public services, and support," she explained.

Refugees from Afghanistan at Heathrow airport

The Home Office, which is the government department which oversees immigration, says there are currently a number of "safe and legal" routes to the UK. However, some are only available to people from specific countries such as Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Other asylum routes only accept a limited number of refugees in line with specific criteria.

Organisations including the Refugee Council and Amnesty International says there are no safe and legal routes for most people to seek asylum in the UK.

What has the response been to the Illegal Migration Bill?

Some people have demonstrated to show support for migrants coming to the UK, while others are against it

Many people aren't happy about the new law the government is looking to introduce.

The shadow secretary Yvette Cooper criticised the plans and said that "Britain deserves better".

"This bill isn't a solution" she said.

"It is a con that risks making the chaos worse."

She also said the government needed to focus more on the criminal gangs smuggling people into the UK.

The shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the government's plans as a "con"

The Liberal Democrat party described the plans as "immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers while doing nothing to stop small boat crossings".

The Refugee Council's CEO Enver Solomon said the "flawed" legislation would result in tens of thousands of people locked up in detention at huge cost, and treated as criminals simply for seeking refuge.

"It's unworkable, costly and won't stop the boats," he said.

Charities such as Oxfam and Amnesty International have also heavily criticised the government's plan.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty's refugee and migrant rights' director said the real issue is the urgent need to "fairly and efficiently" decide asylum claims and introducing accessible schemes so that people do not have to rely on smugglers or make dangerous journeys."