Afghan refugees arriving illegally by boat will not be given special treatment, Priti Patel has warned.
The home secretary said that Afghans using illegal means to cross the Channel to Britain “will claim asylum in the way in which people who enter our system are currently claiming asylum”.
The government is setting up a dedicated scheme for those fleeing their homes in Afghanistan which will give them a safe and legal route to the UK. Boris Johnson said that Britain owes them a “debt of gratitude”.
A passenger repatriated from Afghanistan looks pleased to be landing at RAF Brize Norton
CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES
The Afghanistan citizens’ resettlement scheme will bring 5,000 refugees to Britain in its first year and ministers are determined to get it operating as quickly as possible. It will give priority to those who are “most at risk of
