Rishi Sunak suggests he can’t ‘stop the boats’ by general election

Rishi Sunak has suggested that the English Channel crossings problem is too “complex” to allow him to fulfil his promise to stop the small boats by the next general election.

The prime minister renewed his commitment to stopping the boats and highlighted that the number of illegal migrants making the journey this year is “down for the first time in some years”.

But the Tory leader he said it was “not easy” to fix the problem and said he was not being “straight” with the public if he claimed the crisis can be solved overnight.

It came as No 10 played down speculation Mr Sunak could be preparing to sack Suella Braverman in a reshuffle – insisting that Mr Sunak had full confidence in his home secretary.

The PM’s latest comments on immigration came during a visit to North Yorkshire, during which he was pressed whether he would be able to sort the small boats crisis by the next election.

Mr Sunak told broadcasters: “It’s not an easy problem to fix. I never said we would be able to solve it overnight. It will take time and we have to attack it from lots of different ways. But I am pleased that the number of illegal migrants crossing this year is down for the first time in some years.”

“That shows that our plans are working, but of course there’s still more to do and people should know I am determined to grip this problem, and that’s why one of my five priorities is to stop the boats.”

Pressed again on whether it will be done by the next election, he said: “I want it to be done as soon as possible – but I also want to be honest with people that it is a complex problem. There is not one simple solution and it can’t be solved overnight and I would’’t be being straight with people if I said that was possible.”

Despite the apparent pessimism about significant progress, Mr Sunak said stopping the boasts remained one of his five priorities – as set out as promises to the electorate in January – alongside halving inflation and cutting NHS waiting lists.

He added: “The current system is both unsustainable and is completely unfair, but particularly unfair on British taxpayers who are forking out millions of pounds to house illegal migrants in hotels and local communities. That’s not right. We’ve got to put a stop to that. And we’re working on it.”

Some Tory MPs believe Mr Sunak may replace Ms Braverman in a reshuffle expected in the autumn, with some around the PM reportedly disappointed at her fiery rhetoric and failure to cut numbers significantly.

“The chatter is Suella will go,” one MP told the i newspaper. “She hasn’t fully delivered, we’ve got the Illegal Migration Act through now, and need gentler hands.” Another said: “Braverman has got to go – she is s***.”

But a senior figure in government said the reshuffle would be “pretty minimal” and is unlikely to see Ms Braverman’s exit, according to the Sunday Times.

Asked by reporters if Mr Sunak had confidence in Ms Braverman, his official spokesman said: “We’ve made a number of steps forward with regards to this issue … there has been progress made.”

Pressured again if the PM had “full confidence” in his home secretary, his spokesman said: “Yes.”

It comes as it emerged that the Home Office is planning to spend £306m on three new migrant detention centres to house 1,000 asylum seekers.

Two of the contracts are for centres to hold 360 channel migrants each at a cost of £108m, while a third would house 300 and cost £90m, the Daily Mail reported, citing contract documents.

During his visit to Yorkshire on Monday, Mr Sunak defended plans to house migrants on an RAF base in Lincolnshire that has historic links to the Second World War Dambusters raid.

Asked about the risk that moving asylum seekers into RAF Scampton poses to a multimillion-pound investment, he told regional broadcasters: “Of course the Home Office and other authorities are in dialogue with all local partners to work through all the outstanding issues and questions.”

On why migrants housed in Lincolnshire hotels are not set to be moved to RAF Scampton, with local businesses facing a prolonged squeeze as a result, he added: “We are investing in driving growth in the local economy, and at the same time we are taking decisive action to stop the boats.”

“That is why our new law in parliament is so important. It has been opposed by other parties but I think it is the right thing to do, and we are taking action to reduce, as I say, the amount that taxpayers are spending on housing illegal migrants in hotels. It is millions of pounds a day – that is not right, it is not fair.”