UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick warns migrant boats threaten women’s safety and calls the Channel crisis a national security emergency.
As reported by GB News, Robert Jenrick claims the small-boats crisis is putting British women and girls at greater risk.
What did Robert Jenrick say about the small-boats crisis and women’s safety?
Robert Jenrick has raised concerns for his daughters, aged 14, 12 and 10, warning that migrants with “deplorable attitudes towards women” are crossing the Channel.
He said, “The situation in the Channel is a national security emergency”, which “the Government won’t admit.”
His comments came as protests intensified nationwide, with Britons rallying outside hotels housing asylum seekers.
Mr Jenrick said,
“I certainly don’t want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backwards countries who broke into Britain illegally, and about whom we know next to nothing.”
He stated,
“I don’t want anyone else’s family to have this forced on them either.”
The Shadow Justice Secretary cited charges against two Afghan asylum seekers over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old in Nuneaton, saying, “It’s no wonder fair-minded people are furious.”
He said,
“My eldest daughter is 14 and already I worry about her safety as she starts to do things independently. It’s challenging enough without this to contend with.”
The Tory figure urged the Government to take stronger action on deporting criminals to their home nations.
Referring to the deportation of offenders, he said,
“If countries won’t take back their citizens, we should suspend the granting of visas and foreign aid until they do,”
adding,
“Just recently it was reported Pakistan was refusing to take back three rapists until the UK allows direct flights between the two countries via its national airline, PA, which were grounded due to safety concerns. This is a country we give £133million in aid to. Enough. Starmer should suspend that money if the Pakistani authorities don’t do the right thing.”
The ex-immigration minister, who quit former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet over migration policy, has called on the Ministry of Justice to step up its efforts.
He wants the department to release criminals’ details, including nationality, country of birth, visa and asylum status, and how they entered Britain.
Mr Jenrick warned that failure to act would leave Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer “complicit in a scandalous cover-up.”
In a statement, he stated,
“In Starmer’s topsy-turvy world, investors are fleeing the country in their droves while record numbers of violent and sexual offenders from abroad are put up in our prisons. It’s a farce.”
The shadow justice secretary said,
“Yet again, Starmer has refused to confront our broken human rights laws. He needs to grow a backbone and change them so we can actually deport these individuals. The safety of the British public is infinitely more important than the ‘rights’ of sick foreign criminals.”
He added,
“If countries won’t take back their nationals, Starmer should suspend visas and foreign aid. His soft-touch approach isn’t working.”
What did Shabana Mahmood say about deporting foreign criminals?
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said foreign criminals who abuse UK residents will face immediate deportation after conviction.
She plans to bring in legislation requiring the immediate deportation of foreign citizens given prison sentences.
Ms Mahmood will scrap the current policy under which foreign criminals face automatic deportation only if sentenced to at least 12 months in prison.
She said,
“When foreign nationals commit a serious crime, the appropriate punishment is clear to me: they must be sent packing. For too long, victims have watched on as those who harmed them not only completed their sentences here, but in many cases were then allowed to remain indefinitely, with many going on to re-offend.”
Ms Mahmood added,
“From now on, that will change. Foreign nationals who are given a prison sentence will automatically face deportation.”
Illegal migrants in the UK in 2025
In 2025, small boats accounted for 86% of arrivals (44,125), marking a 14% increase from 2024, with Afghans comprising 16% of these arrivals. Since 2018, 94% have claimed asylum, with 56,605 applications approved and 30,041 refused.
Labour scrapped the Rwanda plan, will target smugglers, and set up detention hubs. Undocumented migrants face a citizenship ban, but may apply under family or 20-year rules.