migrants arriving via small boat.
>> It has been the one focus of politics.
>> Today we're going to talk about illegal
immigration
>> and protest all summer.
>> Illegal immigration
>> and now to the autumn of asylum
>> and no call the home secretary
>> dominating debate right from day one of
the new term.
>> When we wave the Union flag, when we
wave the St. George's flag. When we sing
God Save the King and celebrate
everything that is great about Britain
and about our country, we do so with
pride because of the values that our
flags, our king and our country
represent.
>> Among them, she said, is fairness,
including in the asylum system, which
will change with immediate effect. terms
of fail. We are bringing forward new
immigration rules this week to
temporarily suspend new applications
under the existing dedicated refugee
family reunion route. Refugee family
reunion visas have soared in recent
years. Almost 21,000 people were granted
one in the year to June, up from 5,000
in 2011. The Home Secretary is
temporarily suspending all applications
while also tightening up the asylum
appeal system. And the prime minister
added today that he wants to bring
forward the promised closure of asylum
hotels as Labour's legacy becomes
defined by channel crossings.
>> 29,000
three illegal immigrants have crossed
the English Channel. That is the worst
year in history and everyone can see it.
But not everyone does see it that way.
>> Hi, it's your boy Joel and we're here at
the National Assembly in Abuja. And
>> Joel Morty's story is also one of
contentious flag flying. He organized
the first Pride in Nigeria in 2019
before persecution forced him to flee to
the UK. He says his family have since
been subjected to acid attacks.
>> That's my mom. We're like two peas in a
pod. Some now have asylum here with him,
but not his mother or brother.
>> Family reunification, pulling that away
from us. It shouldn't be. Like I said,
humanity should always come first. Um,
yeah. So, I I I I'm pleading to Iet
Cooper and everyone, you know, who have
the power not to take it away cuz you're
taking away lifeline. Charities say
ending official family applications may
lead to more desperate crossings. Joel's
used to raising his voice in politics,
but the government's having to listen to
louder ones.
>> This was taken in
>> Well, Paul is here as well as Robert to
bring us his take. It certainly feels
like the government is coming out of the
blocks today trying to get on top of an
issue that has dominated politics over
the summer. Paul, first to you. I mean,
you've been out and about um around the
country in recent weeks and months. So
it is clear that migration is still a a
divisive issue.
>> Yeah. And I think this is an admission
from the government today in some ways
that it has lost control of the
narrative that others have set the
narrative over the summer and this is
the dominant narrative now in politics
by some margin. Immigration is the top
concern certainly among parliamentarians
also I think among voters according to
the polling. And so no surprise today
first day back at term the first person
up at the dispatch box to make a speech
is the home secretary on immigration or
asylum. I thought there was some nuance
actually in her speech today. She made a
point, for example, of uh saying that
Britain should be offering asylum to
people fleeing persecution. People like
Joel, who you saw in my report there,
who's actually won a Diana award for his
contribution to society. And I think
sometimes people like that get lost in
this debate at the moment. People with
really legitimate claims. You know, his
life was absolutely in danger in
Nigeria. But this is a polarized debate
that's going on at the moment. The
challenge for the government is it has
made some progress over the summer. The
deal with France, for example, was an
achievement of sorts, this returns deal,
but they're all quite sort of peacemeal
achievements. Gradualist, a kind of
gradualist approach here. And if there's
one thing, I'm sure Robert would agree
that we've learned from Western
democracies lately is that radical is
often far more popular than gradual and
there are plenty of other parties
offering radical at the moment.
>> Yeah, Robert, as Paul was saying, it is
a matter that really has dominated the
agenda over the last few weeks. I mean,
how important is it to the government
that it is seen to be getting to grips
with illegal migration and border
security?
>> So, look, obviously there's this
statistic of record numbers in the early
months of this year risking their lives,
you know, in a way that's truly
troubling to come across uh the channel
to seek asylum. But to be clear, the
statistic that Karma and his colleagues
are focused on is the 10 to 15% lead
that reform has in the opinion polls.
Almost all of which is attributable to
the fact that Nigel Farage is more
trusted on this issue than any other
party leader. Now, as Paul has said,
some would say that his solution,
600,000 deportations
uh in the first year of a reformed
government, were there ever to be a
reformed government, is sort of
simplistic and probably undeliverable.
But to many British people, it is
credible and it is the kind of boldness
they claim they want. So it is uh it was
a big moment for the home secretary
today to persuade people that the
government's more peacemeal approach
will work. But thank goodness for them
they got a couple of years at least to
prove whether or not it is working.
>> Yeah indeed they have it. Robert the
prime minister began the new political
term with the reshuffle inside number
10. Just a quick picture of where we
are. Darren Jones who is working at
number 11 Downing Street as chief
secretary of the treasury is moved into
a brand new role. Chief Secretary to the
Prime Minister Sik Salas also hired
Manish Shafi the former deputy governor
of the bank of England as chief economic
adviser. Robert uh will this help to get
the government back on the front foot do
you think? Look this is a very
substantial change to the machinery of
Downing Street and it is a recognition
by the prime minister that frankly his
first year in government didn't work out
terribly well for him. They were sort of
battered by all manner of events such as
the small boats crisis, the you know the
the the fact that housing uh migrants in
hotels has been so unpopular, welfare
reforms that were overturned because of
rebellions from his own MPs. All sorts
of other changes that that he had to go
back on because they proved to be
unpopular. Now the the point about these
two big appointments that you've just
cited are one in the case of Darren
Jones, his job uh and he's proved pretty
effective at the Treasury when it comes
to limiting public spending. His job is
to corral all the different governments
around sorry departments around the
prime minister's priorities. As for
Minister Shafi, she is there to give the
prime minister the authority to say to
the chancellor and the treasury actually
what you're proposing is wrong and can't
be done. So for example, it is widely
thought that if he'd had a senior
economic adviser, given that he himself
is not an economic, you know, expert
when they came into government, that
economic adviser would have persuaded
the prime minister to veto that
abolition of universal entitlement to
the winter fuel payment, which turned
out to be a political disaster. Up to
now, basically Downing Street has gone
along with whatever Treasury officials
have cooked up. Much of which, frankly,
has been muddleheaded and very
unpopular. So, this is really an attempt
by the Prime Minister to get back at
least some of that economic control.
Yes.