Home Secretary to call on the global community to take collective
action on migration in speech in New York
He will encourage countries across the world to come together to
address the root causes of migration and recognise the impact
that it has on the countries that people leave
He will emphasise the UK is leading the way on migration policy
with the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with
Rwanda
The Home Secretary will lead an international push to tackle
issues around global migration in a major speech tomorrow.
will set out his ambition
for a new global response to tackle mass migration during a
two-day visit to America.
At a speech in New York on Tuesday, the Home Secretary will
outline how this global issue can only be met with global action
to reform migration policy, and urge the international community
to unite in facing this challenge.
The UK is already delivering on the Prime Minister’s plan to stop
the boats, with the number of illegal migrants arriving in the UK
down by 36% last year compared to 2022. This has been achieved in
part thanks to international cooperation, including unprecedented
work with France and a returns deal with Albania which has seen
Albanian arrivals go down by more than 90%. The Home Secretary
will use his speech to call for more international cooperation in
this vein.
He will say:
“Today I am calling for a big, open, global conversation
about what more we need to do together and what needs to
change.
The UK will show the same sort of leadership on this as we
have with climate change, conflict prevention, and Artificial
Intelligence. Success is dependent on a holistic, whole-of-route
approach.
While remaining welcoming and generous, we must also urgently
consider the impact that this level of migration has not just on
those countries where migrants seek to settle, or through which
they transit but also on the countries they leave behind, and
indeed on the migrants themselves. We need to do more,
together.”
He will challenge the international community to take collective
action to:
“Smash the people-smuggling gangs; address all the drivers of
forced displacement; help people to thrive in their own
countries; encourage developed countries to invest in
international development; support countries who wish to settle
more refugees; tackle irregular migration upstream; consider
how we need to update the international architecture around these
issues; increase international trade; and find, together, the
right balance of economic and cultural growth and control.”
He will highlight how the UK is leading the way with its
migration policy:
“Our Migration and Economic Development Partnership with
Rwanda is an innovative way of dealing with illegal immigration.
It acts as a deterrent, by making clear that anyone who comes to
the UK illegally cannot expect to stay. But it will also provide
illegal UK immigrants with an alternative home. It is called a
Migration and Economic Development Partnership for good reason,
as we are making a major investment in Rwanda.
We are working closely with France to stop illegal Channel
crossings, to good effect. And I have just signed a deal
with Frontex, the European Borders and Coast Guard Agency, to
exchange information and intelligence and take on the
people-smuggling gangs together...
The UK has also secured close co-operation on migration with
a range of countries, including India, Vietnam, and Albania, and
signed returns agreements with countries such as Serbia, and
Georgia.”
He will also emphasise the importance of recognising the impact
on countries where people emigrate in large numbers from:
“A talent drain can have a devastating effect, causing a
flight of capital, huge gaps in the workforce, and security
issues. It can be extremely expensive for countries to train
professionals who then take their skills elsewhere. Furthermore,
citizens will suffer if their country fails to invest in skills
and training and then plugs those gaps with immigration… doing
the right thing by someone in need doesn’t necessarily mean
relocating them to our own country. Central to solving the
international migration challenge is doing more, collectively, to
help people to stay and thrive at home.”
This speech comes at the end of the Home Secretary’s visit to the
US. Ahead of the speech, spoke to leading tech
companies in San Francisco to address critical threats from
emerging technologies to public safety and global
democracy.
He spoke about the need for more collaboration with organisations
including Apple, Meta, Google and YouTube to find solutions to
tackle tech-enabled harms and commit to safety-by-design to
protect children.
He also took part in an event with Reid Hoffman, co-founder of
LinkedIn, bringing industry leaders together to discuss how tech
firms and governments can join forces to better protect users and
prevent the exploitation of children on their
platforms.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The speech will be held at the Carnegie Council for Ethics on
International Affairs at 9.00am ET, 2pm GMT.
