In relation to unaccompanied children entering the country “illegally” by boat Rishi Sunak, in answer to a question asked of him by former immigration minister Caroline Noakes, said he did not want to “incentivise people to bring children who wouldn’t otherwise come here”, adding "Otherwise you create an incentive for a criminal gang to bring a child with them when they otherwise wouldn’t be, and I don’t think that is a good thing.”
These children did not suddenly appear on the French coast to offer themselves for transportation. There are long journeys, families and funding involved, and by implication a clear intent to come here. There is a strong incentive for some of these loving parents to give their children the shelter they need, and which perhaps they cannot also afford themselves, even if it means letting them travel by dangerous means and in the company of others. Is that grounds for the incarceration of children?
It appears that Mr Sunak views both the children and the traffickers as criminals. An understandable confusion perhaps given that they are respectively commodities and traders in the same market.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies