this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm ben brown. our top stories the prime minister visits dover as the government sets out new legislation to crack down on migrants coming to the uk on small boats. our approach is robust and novel, which is why we cannot make a definitive statement of compatibility under section 19 one be of the human rights act. china warns of potential conflict , as leaders blame the us for trying to "contain, encircle and suppress" their country. how russia's invasion has dramatically increased the need for rehabilitation services across ukraine. scientists say annual flood damage in parts of the uk could increase by more than 20% over the next century as climate change takes its toll.

another day of strikes and widespread disruption in france — as unions battle against planned pension reforms. and tickets to the eurovision song contest sell out in just 90 minutes, as super—fans rush to secure a spot at this year's event in liverpool. the uk home secretary has been setting out new plans to stop migrants entering the country from france in small boats. suella braverman told the house of commons that �*enough is enough' as she introduced the illegal migration bill to the house of commons. it puts a duty on ministers to detain and deport anyone who enters the country illegally, though the government has admitted the bill does �*push the boundaries of international law'. refugee charities and the opposition

labour party have called the new plan �*unworkable�*. from dover, duncan kennedy reports. dover yesterday, and more migrants brought ashore after being picked up in the channel. 16,000 people came across like this in the past year, 3,000 more have travelled this year. the government says it has to act to stop these kinds of numbers. we have seen a 500% increase in small boat crossings in two years, and this, mr speaker, is the crucial point of this bill. they won't stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed. the new measures will come in the illegal migration bill, which will say that anyone arriving by small boat will be unable to claim asylum. they will be removed to rwanda or another "safe" third country,

and they won't be allowed to return to the uk to claim asylum. what the government wants to create with all this is a deterrent to the migrants, it wants to send out the message, if you come across, you will not only be detained in the future, but you will be sent back and you won't be allowed back in. but after so many other measures in the past, will these new ones actually work? the government has tried various methods in the past, like funding french police to patrol beaches in northern france and putting naval vessels in the channel. it is also trying to send migrants to rwanda, but so far that policy is being challenged by opponents. labour and the liberal democrats say the measures are unworkable. they say it would be impossible to detain thousands of migrants and return them to safe places. and many refugee charities say the new system is simply unfair on the migrants. it doesn't matter what side

of the argument you sit on, stopping the boats is a priority, people risk their lives taking these journeys, but the way we do that is to offer safe legal routes, currently we don't have adequate safe legal routes, and that is what pushes people into small boats. until we offer people an alternative, the small boats will not stop. the coast around dover has been the main landing spot for the migrants. local people we spoke to simply say they want the boats to stop. i would like to think that they would work, i don't have the confidence to think that it will finally do it. at the moment the problem seems completely intractable, it seems like we have got to do something different to deter people from coming here in the first place, from getting on the boats in france. it is already an offence to physically arrive on the shores of the uk without permission, but the government believes it must push back on its critics and go further. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in dover.

in the house of commons, opposition mps were vocal — and critical — of the home secretary. this is deeply damaging chaos, and there is no point in ministers trying to blame anyone else for it, they have been in power for 13 years. the asylum system is broken, and they broke it. mr speaker, the snp stands proudly behind the refugee convention and the european convention on human rights _ we believe that all who seek asylum, seek refugee status, deserve a fair hearing, and we are 100% behind the clear statement from the united nations high commissioner for refugees, that there is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker. mr speaker, despite the dreary dog—whistle rhetoric, her bill will not so much as lay a solitary finger on people smugglers or people traffickers. but it will cause serious and devastating harm for people who have already endured incredible suffering.

i given the brutality of the taliban i regime, and the precarious security situation in neighbouring third countries, it is shocking - | that there is no specific safe routel for afghan women and girls at risk. we have failed the people - of afghanistan at every stage, and the uk is an outlier in this regard. - so, what steps is the home secretary taking to create a specific safe - route or at least ensure existing promises are being kept? - home secretary. unspeakable tragedy is occurring on the channel and through all maritime routes around the world because of the global migration crisis. that is why it is absolutely essential that the uk takes a robust approach but a compassionate approach, this is at core a humanitarian package of measures which sends the message to people, do not come here illegally. well, the prime minister has been visiting kent to meet border force officials. these are the pictures

of rishi sunak at the home office joint control room in dover. in the next half hour he'll be holding a news conference in downing street — we'll bring you coverage of that here on bbc news. joining me now is helen 0'nions, an associate professor of migration and asylum law at nottingham trent university law school. thank you forjoining us. the governments have admitted themselves that this proposed legislation pushes the boundaries of international law. do you agree with that? i international law. do you agree with that? ., �* 4' international law. do you agree with that? ., �* ~ , , , , that? i don't think it “ust pushes the that? i don't think it 'ust pushes the boundaries h that? i don't think it 'ust pushes the boundaries of _ that? i don't think itjust pushes the boundaries of international. that? i don't think itjust pushes . the boundaries of international law. i think it pushes the boundary of our own law. we have to remember, the human rights act, the home secretary cannot assure us of its compatibility with the human rights act, is a uk legislation. we are

starting on the back foot and accepting it is likely that these proposals will be mired in legal challenges, costing an absolute fortune, and causing a great deal of uncertainty and stress for the people at the centre of the situation. so, ithink people at the centre of the situation. so, i think there is an international right to seek asylum, of course, it's going to conflict with that. there are fundamental rights in our human rights act, including the rights to appeal and have an effective remedy. the right to not to be subjected to torture or degrade inhuman treatment. these things are potentially, seriously risk by this legislation. the governments _ risk by this legislation. the governments argument is this is about deterrence. this is about trying to stop illegal migrants coming to the uk in the first place. suella braverman has said they will not stop coming here onto the world knows if you enter britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly

removed. . , you will be detained and swiftly removed. ., , ,., removed. that is her point. i understand _ removed. that is her point. i understand that _ removed. that is her point. i understand that but - removed. that is her point. i understand that but i - removed. that is her point. i understand that but i think. removed. that is her point. i i understand that but i think it's misleading to say is a problem of legality. we know from recent statistics that the majority of people who are crossing, even on the boats, are recognised as refugees. they are able to demonstrate well—founded persecution. some people are come from countries where there is 80 to 90% rate instant recognition rate. these are refugees, and these measures will prevent them from accessing protection and durable solutions. the government has argued in the past a lot of these people are young men from albania except of course, thatis men from albania except of course, that is what they would like to argue. that is what they would like to an ue. �* , that is what they would like to aruue, �*, that is what they would like to an ue. �*, ., ., ~ ., that is what they would like to aruue. �*, ., ., ., that is what they would like to aruue. h ., ., ., argue. let's look at that more. 5396 is the most — argue. let's look at that more. 5396 is the most recent _ argue. let's look at that more. 5396 is the most recent statistics - argue. let's look at that more. 5396 is the most recent statistics from . is the most recent statistics from the last year, 53% of albanians who come by small boats are recognised by refugees at her as refugees at first instance. even if you are to accept that everyone was albania,

which is not the case, at least half of those people are able to make a valid claim for refugee status which is not an easy thing to achieve because the definition is narrow. we have to include, as one of the members in the comments were addressing, the situation in afghanistan and iran, there are no legal routes for people to access protection from those countries. and yet they are the countries who have an 80% to 90% refugee rate recognition. the other sites of that is that the number of resettlement places has been reduced in the last two years by up to two thirds. so, the idea that there are legal, safe routes to come is obviously, is just nonsense. it has to be backed up, i think, by our understanding of what is probably going to happen on the ground. this legislation will not stop people coming by a small boats. the reason we have seen the rise is

because a lorry method has been curtailed because of brexit immigration checks and people are not taking a more dangerous route. we will see a much more dangerous method and smugglers being able to charge more, to think of more ingenious ways to get people to ask, more dangerous ways of enabling access. i don't think will make difference of that.— access. i don't think will make difference of that. good to get your thou~hts difference of that. good to get your thoughts and _ difference of that. good to get your thoughts and analysis. _ difference of that. good to get your thoughts and analysis. thank - difference of that. good to get your thoughts and analysis. thank you . difference of that. good to get yourl thoughts and analysis. thank you for joining us on the programme. the chinese leader, xijinping, has made an unusually direct criticism of washington, saying that the balloon incident is just one of a series of american actions which show that the us is trying to encircle and contain his country. it comes as the chinese leadership is gathered in beijing for the national people's congress, and mr xi's foreign minister, qin gang, has also voiced criticisms. he said that the us knew china's balloon posed no threat,

but over—reacted and created a diplomatic crisis. washington has claimed the balloon was part of a sprawling chinese intelligence collection programme. we'll hear from our correspondent in beijing injust a moment — but first, let's hear what qin gang had to say to america. translation: the united states claims to be competing to win - against china rather than seeking conflict. but in fact, the united states's so—called competition is total containment and suppression. a zero—sum game in which you die and i live. the united states's perception and views of china are seriously distorted. they regard china as the primary rival and the most consequential international challenge. 0ur china correspondent steve mcdonell has more from the foreign minister's press

conference, where he warns of a real risk of conflict between us and china. this has been a very high—profile, two—pronged attack on the us from the chinese government, not only involving the foreign minister, but also the supreme leader, xijinping, no less. he made a speech in which he said that the west, as led by the us, was encircling and containing china and that this represented a serious threat for this country. now, we don't know a lot more about what he said, because that was a speech behind closed doors to these business delegates at a political advisory body. but foreign minister qin gang held a press conference on the sidelines of the national people's congress. he said that unless washington hits the brakes soon, instead of ramping up tensions, that there was a real risk of conflict between the us and china. he went through these various points

of tensions, for example, the balloon incident. now, he said that was basically an accident, but the us hyped it up, leading to a diplomatic crisis. he said that the biden administration, when it speaks about competition with china, really means trying to control china, trying to constrain it. and in terms of the ukraine war, he said that china had put forward a peace plan for ukraine, but that the proposals for peace were being stifled by this invisible actor, this invisible hand. it's pretty obvious he's talking about the us there, but the accusation from qin gang is this invisible hand wanted the conflict to continue in ukraine for its own geopolitical ends. so this is a very serious allegation being levelled at the us, that it wants the war there to keep going.

you know, in recent times, we've had a lot of tension between washington and beijing and it does seem to continue to deteriorate. it seems it was not that long ago that there was to be this visit by the us secretary of state to beijing to try to repair relations. and yet now, we have this tension increasing and even more dire warnings coming from the chinese side, as to what this tension could lead to. we often report the statistics about casualties from the war in ukraine, but rarely do we hear about what happens to those who've injured in the conflict. the bbc has been given access to one hospitial in lviv in western ukraine, where the wounded are given specialist rehabilitation treatment. a warning, you may find some parts of this report from our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse upsetting.

this is when illya pylypenko's war ended. his tank had just gone over a mine in the southern kherson region last september. he holds on as his comrades take him to safety. illya suffered burns across a third of his body and seriously injured his leg. the journey for wounded soldiers is a long one. in lviv, western ukraine, thousands end up at this rehabilitation centre. in this war of old, injuries from explosions or shells are the most common. while illya is one of many, it's been an isolating six months. translation: i had many surgeries,

a skin graft and three _ operations on my leg. there was a search for doctors, hope for a specialist who may be able to save my leg. then there was disappointment and then some hope, because losing a limb is not the end. illya is learning to look ahead. but his next chapter is unlikely to be from the front line. thousands of injured soldiers find themselves in hospitals like this across ukraine and that is putting a real strain on the country's health system. the fighting, or the brutality of it that they've come from, is unimaginable. but a return to a fuller life is possible. on a cold kyiv morning is a perfect case in point. we last saw hlib stryzhko in may, when he was being treated for a broken pelvis and jaw

after he returned from captivity. he's also lost vision in one eye and has been told his military days are over. instead, he helps other veterans. translation: my country, | my troops, the marines need the best of the best. deep inside, i still feel guilty i'm not in the forces. but i can be effective even when i'm not in military uniform. every ukrainian bears some of this invasion�*s weight. where there is hurt, there is some healing — despite everything. james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv. france is in the grip of another nationwide strike, as protests against plans to reform pensions continue. many of the country's biggest unions are taking part in the stoppage,

affecting transport, schools, and many public services. the dispute is over government plans to raise the age at which workers can claim state pensions from 62 to 64. let's go live to paris now, where thousands of people are taking part in a strike against government plans to increase the state pension age from 62 to 64. we've seen tear gas on the streets, as riot police move in against protestors. a number of arrests appeared to be made. realangeracross a number of arrests appeared to be made. real anger across france against president emmanuel macron

administration trying to raise the age of retirement by two years. 0ur paris correspondent hugh schofield has more on this story. well, one doesn't want to overplay it. this is not a general strike. if you went out on the streets of paris today, you'd find that most shops are open and people are going about their business when they can. it is, though, a day of difficulty, no doubt about that, in public transport, in the schools. basically, in general, it's the public sector movement. it is the public sector unions which are leading the strike action and they have shut down large parts of the public sector. there are private sector workers involved in the big industries like electricity and the imported gas depots and so on, so it's notjust public sector, but that's the bulk of it. a lot of people are trying to go about their daily life. of course, the fact that many people

work from home now helps, and does mean also that compared to the past, these big days of disruption to public transport on strike days don't have the same effect on the economy and on people's working lives as they once used to. uk scientists have produced a detailed "future flood map" of britain, simulating the impacts of flooding as climate change takes its toll. the study showed that every part of mainland britain will be affected differently, with some areas much more vulnerable than others to flood damage. here's our science correspondent victoria gill. as water trickles through this woodland in calderdale, a team of local volunteers are getting to work. what we're trying to do is just divert this into woodland. katie's nearby home has been flooded in the past because in this steep—sided valley, heavy rain can swell the river very quickly. how bad does flooding

get in this area? it's catastrophic. it's incredibly fast. it's a wave of destruction. it's physically and mentally hard for people here. there've been repeated devastating floods here in recent years. and when the water subsides, it can take months to repair the damage to homes and businesses. across the uk, destruction from flooding costs an estimated £700 million per year. here at the fathom labs in bristol, they're simulating all of the causes of flooding, creating maps that will help people to plan and prepare. we call this a flood hazard map. so what we've done is we've simulated the probability and intensity of flooding on every river in the uk. scientists used layers of information about what causes flooding. they mapped the terrain of mainland britain and combined that with data on rainfall patterns, how water's moved through our rivers and around our coastal area.

they've combined all this information with details from the met office about how exactly climate change will affect flood risk. even if we can keep global temperatures to a 1.8 degree increase, there are areas where flood risk will increase significantly, including the southeast and northwest of england and south wales. but there will be little change across northeast and central england as well as eastern and northern scotland. there are many places where risk is growing and being able to understand the communities and the regions where this is likely to happen allows us to make sensible investment decisions about making interventions such as engineering structures or natural flood management, or indeed moving people out of harm's way. a warmer climate means more extremes, including more heavy rainfall. but this new research shows that every town and village will be affected differently by climate change. and the scientists say that governments need betterforecasting to protect communities and make informed decisions about where to build.

being able to forecast is ideal. anything, any early warnings that we can have here i would say are so important, just because of the speed of things here. the best helper ever! it's information that will be crucial for katie and calder valley's next generation. victoria gill, bbc news, . the movie "elvis" goes into sunday's 0scar�*s race with eight nominations. the film's star austin butler could win best actor for his portrayal of "the king". sophie long has been talking to the cast and crew about the emotional roller—coaster during filming. we had fire, we had flood, then a pandemic. we lost the movie. then the movie came back. then the movie is made, then the movie flourishes. and then austin wins the golden globe for best actor.

and then we have the sadness and the shock of losing lisa marie. it's been such an incredible emotional roller coaster, an up and down. it's an incredibly difficult time and tumultuous time, you know, and... but i think back to when she first saw the film and when priscilla saw the film and how... their reaction to it, and especially because they felt the way that they did about it. no review will ever mean more to me than what what they said after, you know. # going to a party at the countyjail...#. tomorrow, all of america will be talking about elvis presley. - all your films have such energy. like, i remember the first time i watched moulin rouge. it kind of slaps you in the face. it's different to anything else. how do you do that? well, my energy might be,

you know, slightly dribbling away as the years go on. but they're designed like that. they're engagement films. they're meant to say, "come with us on the ride." they're meant to challenge you in the beginning. they're not keyhole psychological dramas. they are participatory cinematic works. i need to get back to who i really am. how does it feel? it feels like a dream. you know, i'm trying to... i'm trying to take snapshots in my mind and really remember these moments. the newness of all this will never happen again. so i really want to remember it. there's so much buzz around this whole, this part of the industry. and i'm used tojust being the guy who's, you know, you can sort of hide behind a character. so there's a lot of talking about yourself.

in a moment we'll be hearing from the uk prime minister rishi sunak at a news conference about plans for a crackdown on migrants who enter the uk on small boats. suella braverman announced the plans in the house of commons a little bit earlier on. 0ur political correspondent iain watson is at westminster. stopping the small boats is one of the prime minister is biggest by promises that he announced recently. he sees this as politically critical, doesn't he? he he sees this as politically critical, doesn't he? he sees this is critical because _ critical, doesn't he? he sees this is critical because it _ critical, doesn't he? he sees this is critical because it was - critical, doesn't he? he sees this is critical because it was one - critical, doesn't he? he sees this is critical because it was one of i is critical because it was one of the five promises he unveiled on generate 50. to be clear about what the premise was, the promise was to introduce new laws to stop the

boats. in that sense he can fulfil the promise by introducing the legislation. whether legislation is successful would be remaining scene. whether it can be done as quickly as possible or means to be seen. we then get into the question of whether there will be legal challenges because what i found interesting in what suella braverman was talking about pushing the limits of international law to try to end the small boats crisis, i think we would see the small the prime ministers say stop the boats with the election. politically, his pressure is increased as a number of people coming here is increased. nonetheless, it looks like there may be grounds for a challenge. in a letter to mps, so braverman said although they were confident that this new legislation would be —— or would not breach international

legislation, there was a chance that it may not be in line with the european convention on human rights. this is because it hasn't been tested before, they don't want to abandon the european convention but it does seem to suggest at the heart of government, the know it may face legal challenges. whether it is something that will go ahead because of opposition from the law or in the courts in time for the next election, remains to be seen from socks from rishi sunak point of view, there's a lot of pressure from mps and considerations, it is one problem he has to try and if you cannot solve it, he has to tell people he's doing his best and leaving no stone unturned to try and stop these channel crossings. this leaving no stone unturned to try and stop these channel crossings. as you sa , a lot stop these channel crossings. as you say. a lot of — stop these channel crossings. as you say, a lot of refugee _ stop these channel crossings. as you say, a lot of refugee charities - stop these channel crossings. as you say, a lot of refugee charities and . say, a lot of refugee charities and the labour party say a lot of this is unworkable. the home secretary argued that to not to do this would

be a betrayal of the british people. it sounded like she had the voters on her mind. it sounded like she had the voters on her mind-— on her mind. yes, that's right. strong rhetoric _ on her mind. yes, that's right. strong rhetoric from _ on her mind. yes, that's right. strong rhetoric from the - on her mind. yes, that's right. j strong rhetoric from the home secretary but i think in essence the government is looking for and getting a political divided line. they would say, on the one hand, it is the left—wing lawyers trying to hold them back in their ambitions to try to deliver on the british people to get control of our borders back. they would also say to the labour party, what is your solution? perhaps getting into the next general election with a dividing line between the opposition parties. from labourers point of view, they are arguing there has been legislation on this issue before and legislation. {eek legislation on this issue before and le . islation. ., �* , legislation on this issue before and leaislation. ., �* , ., my my policy is very simple — it is this country and your government who

should decide who comes here, and not criminal gangs. now the first step is understanding the nature and scale of what we are dealing with. the number of people entering the uk illegally in small boats has more than quadrupled injust illegally in small boats has more than quadrupled in just the last two years. those illegally crossing the channel are not directly fleeing a war—torn country or persecution, or an imminent threat to life. they've travelled through safe european countries. they are paying people smugglers huge sums to make this dangerous, and sometimes tragic journey. now the reason that criminal gangs continue to bring small boats over here is because they know that our system can be exploited. that once here, illegal migrants can make a multitude of asylum, modern slavery and spurious human rights claims to frustrate

their removal. and the risk remains that those individuals just disappear into the black economy. that is the reality we must deal with. and with 100 million people displaced around the world, if we do not deal with it now, the situation willjust not deal with it now, the situation will just get worse not deal with it now, the situation willjust get worse and worse. people must know that if they come here illegally, it will result in their detention and swift removal. 0nce their detention and swift removal. once this happens, and they know it will happen, they will not come and the boats will stop. that is why today, we are introducing legislation to make clear that if you come here illegally, you can't claim asylum, you can't benefit from our modern slavery protections, you can't make serious human rights claims, and you can't stay. we will detain those who come here

illegally, and then remove them within weeks either to their own country, if it is safe to do so, or to a safe third country like rwanda. and once you are removed, you will be banned, as you are in america and australia, from every entering our country. this is how we will break the business model of the people smugglers. this is how we will take back control of our borders. now this bill provides the legal framework needed to deliver this in a way that no other legislation has done before. this is tough, but it is necessary, and it is fair. in this legislation will be retrospective. if you come in a small boat today, the measures in this bill will apply to you. this is just part of what we're doing — i've always been clear that this is a complex problem that can't be solved overnight, and will require us to use every tool at our disposal.

that's why i've secured the largest ever boats deal with france, and patrols on french beaches are already up a0%. i also promised progress on enforcement, and we've increased raids on illegal working by 50%. i've also negotiated a new deal with albania which accounted for a third of all small boats arrivals, and that's already delivering. we returned 500 illegal migrants to albania, and we are seeing farfewer come as migrants to albania, and we are seeing far fewer come as a result. this shows that there is nothing inevitable about illegal migration. deterrence work, and with will and determination, the government can get on top of it, and we will. now this will always be a compassionate and generous country. it is something we are all rightly proud of. look at how we've welcomed

ukrainians, syrians from refugee camps and hung congress fleeing the crackdown. but the current situation is neither moral nor sustainable. it cannot go on. it is completely unfair on the british people who have opened their homes to genuine refugees, but are now having to spend nearly £6 million a day to put up spend nearly £6 million a day to put up illegal migrants and hotels. it's unfair on the people who come to this country legally to see others skipping the queue. and it's devastatingly unfair on those who most need our help but can't get it, as our asylum system is being overwhelmed by those travelling illegally across the channel. if we can't stop the boats, our ability to help genuine refugees in future will be constrained. full control of our

borders will allow us to decide who to help, and to provide safe, legal routes for those most in need. now i understand there will be debate about the toughness of these measures — all i can say is, we have tried it every other way, and it has not worked. so i say again, my policy is very simple — it is this country and your government who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs. and i will do whatever is necessary to achieve that. thank you. we'll take some questions from the media if we can start with the bbc. we met chris mason from bbc news. if by the time of the next election you haven't stopped the boats, you of the next election you haven't stopped the boats,— of the next election you haven't stopped the boats, you have failed?

thanks, chris. _ stopped the boats, you have failed? thanks, chris. i— stopped the boats, you have failed? thanks, chris. iwouldn't_ stopped the boats, you have failed? thanks, chris. i wouldn't be - thanks, chris. i wouldn't be standing here if i didn't think that i could deliver on this promise. at the beginning of the year, i stood up the beginning of the year, i stood up here in front of the british people and made five promises, one of which was to stop the boats. since i've had thisjob, i've spent a lot of time thinking long and hard about how to solve this problem, and i'm confident that the bill we are introducing today will help us do that. it will mean that for the first time, we will have a system whereby if people come here illegally, they won't be able to stay, they'll be detained and swiftly removed. and as we deliver on that, people will see that there is no point in coming here. we will have that deterrent effect. but i've also been clear throughout that this is a complicated problem. there is no one silver bullet, and the legislation of course is really important, and that is one of the many things we are doing. we need to cooperate with our allies, particularly the french, which is why the deal we worked on is so

important and we hope to continue deepening and strengthening our cooperation with french and other european allies. it's why the announced deal with albania is so important. albania accounted for over a third of our illegal migrants last year, but because of the steps we've taken to put in place, what we're seeing now is there returning hundreds of people back to albania, and we are seeing the numbers come down considerably. so that shows to me that if we get this right, it will make a difference. now we are in the early stages of it, but we've given it long, hard thought. and i said at the beginning of the year that i only promise what i believe i can deliver, and i will absolutely deliver on what i promise, and that's what i'll do today. all these things play their part, no one thing is that answer to the question. the

legislation is critical, there's no way to stop the boats without this legislation. but this legislation on its own won't do it, that's why we need all the other things and talked about as well, all these things will help stop the boats. i promise what i can deliver, and i will deliver what i promise, and that's what we said we would do. next, itv. prime minister, said we would do. next, itv. prime minister. you _ said we would do. next, itv. prime minister, you talked _ said we would do. next, itv. prime minister, you talked about - said we would do. next, itv. prime minister, you talked about the - minister, you talked about the importance _ minister, you talked about the importance of— minister, you talked about the importance of swift _ minister, you talked about the importance of swift removal, i minister, you talked about the - importance of swift removal, more than two _ importance of swift removal, more than two thirds _ importance of swift removal, more than two thirds of _ importance of swift removal, more than two thirds of asylum—seekers| than two thirds of asylum—seekers don't _ than two thirds of asylum—seekers don't come — than two thirds of asylum—seekers don't come from _ than two thirds of asylum—seekers don't come from albania. - than two thirds of asylum—seekers don't come from albania. how- than two thirds of asylum—seekers don't come from albania. how is l than two thirds of asylum—seekersj don't come from albania. how is it compatible — don't come from albania. how is it compatible with _ don't come from albania. how is it compatible with british _ don't come from albania. how is it compatible with british traditions i compatible with british traditions of humanity— compatible with british traditions of humanity and _ compatible with british traditions of humanity and compassion - compatible with british traditions of humanity and compassion that compatible with british traditions - of humanity and compassion that you are criminalising, _ of humanity and compassion that you are criminalising, incarcerating, - are criminalising, incarcerating, potentially _ are criminalising, incarcerating, potentially forcing _ are criminalising, incarcerating, i potentially forcing statelessness, homelessness, _ potentially forcing statelessness, homelessness, destitution- potentially forcing statelessness, homelessness, destitution on - homelessness, destitution on asylum—seekers, _ homelessness, destitution on asylum—seekers, many- homelessness, destitution on asylum—seekers, many of- homelessness, destitution on . asylum—seekers, many of whom homelessness, destitution on - asylum—seekers, many of whom are, homelessness, destitution on _ asylum—seekers, many of whom are, as

you accept, _ asylum—seekers, many of whom are, as you accept, vulnerable _ asylum—seekers, many of whom are, as you accept, vulnerable and _ you accept, vulnerable and traumatised _ you accept, vulnerable and traumatised before - you accept, vulnerable and traumatised before you - you accept, vulnerable and i traumatised before you have you accept, vulnerable and - traumatised before you have in place agreements — traumatised before you have in place agreements with _ traumatised before you have in place agreements with third _ traumatised before you have in place agreements with third countries - agreements with third countries which _ agreements with third countries which you — agreements with third countries which you could _ agreements with third countries which you could move _ agreements with third countries which you could move in- agreements with third countries which you could move in a - agreements with third countries which you could move in a swift| agreements with third countries - which you could move in a swift way, your words. — which you could move in a swift way, your words, those _ which you could move in a swift way, your words, those asylum—seekers?| this is a country that has always been open, welcoming, compassionate and generous to those in need. in the last few years, since 2015, we've welcomed almost half a million people to this country, half a million from ukraine, syria, afghanistan, hong kong. that's our compassion, and everyone should be proud of that, i am. but what's not compassionate is to allow the current situation to persist. there is nothing compassionate about allowing vulnerable people to perish in the channel. we had a stark reminder of thatjust a in the channel. we had a stark reminder of that just a few weeks ago off the coast of italy where over 50 people died, including children. people are being exploited

by criminal gangs and smugglers, i was talking with teams i have to deal with us on the ground, as the minister sees every week. there's nothing compassionate about that system the macro situation persisting, and there's nothing fair about us not being able to help the truly most vulnerable people around the world because our system is being overwhelmed by thosejumping the queue and coming here illegally. and they are not the most vulnerable, they are travelling through safe european countries, they are paying thousands of pounds to get here. i want to move to a system where we break that cycle, we deter people from coming here illegally and jumping the queue, and we can then decide who we bring here, how many, and make sure that we target that support on the world's most truly vulnerable people, and that's why the legislation we are announcing today does the things we need to break the

cycle and send people back, but it also allows parliament to set a quota on how many people we would welcome here under safe and legal routes, as we've done brilliantly over the last few years. i think that's a system that would welcome broad support, and is notjust the right thing to do, but the moral and compassionate thing to do, because the current system is broken and is not fair on anybody, and the sooner we can put an end to it and focus on those who most need it, i think the better everyone will be. but those who most need it, i think the better everyone will be.— better everyone will be. but if you can't expel— better everyone will be. but if you can't expel them _ better everyone will be. but if you can't expel them yet, _ better everyone will be. but if you can't expel them yet, why - better everyone will be. but if you can't expel them yet, why do - better everyone will be. but if you can't expel them yet, why do you | can't expel them yet, why do you think— can't expel them yet, why do you think the — can't expel them yet, why do you think the small— can't expel them yet, why do you think the small boats. _ can't expel them yet, why do you think the small boats. ? - can't expel them yet, why do you think the small boats. ? the - think the small boats. ? the legislation — think the small boats. ? the legislation is _ think the small boats. ? the legislation is a _ think the small boats. ? legislation is a necessary think the small boats. ?- legislation is a necessary step to either return people to the country they came from, or send them to rolando. we are already returning people — albania accounted for a third of all illegal migrants last year because of the new deal be put into place, we are now returning hundreds of people back to albania. and that's the right thing to do. we

need to focus our resources, focus our generosity and compassion on the world's truly most vulnerable people, that's what i want to do. i think that's what the vast of the country wants to do, and that's not possible at the moment because we are overwhelmed by people breaking the laws, and that's not right, and that will change. next, sky news. thank you, prime minister. five years— thank you, prime minister. five years ago. — thank you, prime minister. five years ago, the venn home secretary, sa'id years ago, the venn home secretary, sajid javid, — years ago, the venn home secretary, sajidjavid, said years ago, the venn home secretary, sajid javid, said he would make this unviabte _ sajid javid, said he would make this unviable. since then, we've seen tens— unviable. since then, we've seen tens of— unviable. since then, we've seen tens of thousands of people in the last five _ tens of thousands of people in the last five years — where do you think your predecessors went wrong, and why are _ your predecessors went wrong, and why are you — your predecessors went wrong, and why are you different? and can i also _ why are you different? and can i also ask, — why are you different? and can i also ask, what does success look like to— also ask, what does success look like to you? _ also ask, what does success look like to you? will you be setting targets — like to you? will you be setting targets for where you want the numbers — targets for where you want the numbers to be in a year's time? so this numbers to be in a year's time? sc this is numbers to be in a year's time? this is not numbers to be in a year's time? sr this is not about dwelling on the past, because the situation has just got far worse. as i said in my remarks earlier, just in the last two years, the numbers of people

crossing the channel illegally have more than quadrupled. that is the scale of what's happening, and they are forecast at worst. the other thing is it's notjust us, anyone who thinks it's just a uk specific problem — this is happening across europe, europe last year saw something like a 63% increase in the numbers of illegal migrants, one of the highest numbers they've experienced in a decade. and that's because globally, this is a challenge. and it'll only get worse unless we do something novel and bold to try and stop it, and that's what our legislation today does. its successes or stopping the boats, it's having a system that people come here illegally are returned. back to a country that is safe or an alternative. and if we can get that working, as we already are with albania, we'll see the numbers come down because people will see it's not worth their while to risk their lives, to pay gangs thousands of

pounds for something that ends up not what they expect. and that is the system we will deliver. now we've always said, as i said to questions earlier, there's no silver bullet to this. not only do we need the legislation to be implement it and make sure that we can implement that as quickly as possible, we also need to cooperate with our allies, we need to make sure we keep our returns agreements, we need to set “p returns agreements, we need to set up of what we're doing on... rates are increasing dramatically. so we will do all those, we are firing on all cylinders to fix this problem. people arejudging us all cylinders to fix this problem. people are judging us and our results, but we are already making more progress in we've made in a long time. and as a result of this legislation, i think we now have something that is very powerful. we haven't done anything like this before, and it gives us the tool that we need to implement the system that we need to implement the system that i described. we've gone further than anybody has gone before, and it's right we are doing that because the situation is far worse than it was two years ago. but we are

responding appropriately with tough measures, but they are responsible and proportionate, and crucially they are fair. but and proportionate, and crucially they are fair-— they are fair. but you're not settin: they are fair. but you're not setting specific _ they are fair. but you're not setting specific targets - they are fair. but you're not setting specific targets in i they are fair. but you're not - setting specific targets in terms of numbers? — setting specific targets in terms of numbers? | setting specific targets in terms of numbers? ~ , ., , numbers? i think people will 'udge us on our results. i numbers? i think people will 'udge us on our results. and i numbers? i think people will 'udge us on our results. and we _ numbers? i think people willjudge us on our results. and we are - us on our results. and we are already seeing the results — illegal migration rates up 50% since we announced that at the end of last year. hundreds of people have been returned to albania, we are getting the asylum backlog down, just to 6000 in the last few months since we've approved of the processes there. hopefully further cooperation will come, we promised new legislation, i'm standing here today with the home secretary introducing it. so we are continuing to deliver the fittings that we said, and i'm highly confident that as we keep moving forward, people will see a big difference. next, lb c. br;

big difference. next, lb c. by minister, you are meeting the french president— minister, you are meeting the french president tater — minister, you are meeting the french president later this— minister, you are meeting the french president later this week _ minister, you are meeting the french president later this week —— - minister, you are meeting the french president later this week —— by - president later this week —— by minister — president later this week —— by minister do— president later this week —— by minister. do you _ president later this week —— by minister. do you accept - president later this week —— by minister. do you accept that i president later this week —— by minister. do you accept that inj minister. do you accept that in order— minister. do you accept that in order to — minister. do you accept that in order to be _ minister. do you accept that in order to be successful- minister. do you accept that in order to be successful with - minister. do you accept that in| order to be successful with this country. — order to be successful with this country. -- _ order to be successful with this country. -- policy, _ order to be successful with this country, —— policy, you'll- order to be successful with this country, —— policy, you'll needl order to be successful with this - country, —— policy, you'll need some cooperation — country, —— policy, you'll need some cooperation. what _ country, —— policy, you'll need some cooperation. what are _ country, —— policy, you'll need some cooperation. what are you _ country, —— policy, you'll need some cooperation. what are you preparedl cooperation. what are you prepared to offer— cooperation. what are you prepared to offer him — cooperation. what are you prepared to offer him in— cooperation. what are you prepared to offer him in return? _ cooperation. what are you prepared to offer him in return? if— cooperation. what are you prepared to offer him in return? if i— cooperation. what are you prepared to offer him in return? if i may- to offer him in return? if i may speak— to offer him in return? if i may speak very— to offer him in return? if i may speak very briefly— to offer him in return? if i may speak very briefly on _ to offer him in return? if i may speak very briefly on sue - to offer him in return? if i may| speak very briefly on sue gray, to offer him in return? if i may. speak very briefly on sue gray, do you still— speak very briefly on sue gray, do you still have _ speak very briefly on sue gray, do you still have faith _ speak very briefly on sue gray, do you still have faith in _ speak very briefly on sue gray, do you still have faith in the - you still have faith in the integrity— you still have faith in the integrity of _ you still have faith in the integrity of her- you still have faith in the integrity of her report. you still have faith in the integrity of her report in| you still have faith in the i integrity of her report in the partygate? _ integrity of her report in the partygate? on _ integrity of her report in the partygate?— integrity of her report in the pa ate? ,, , ~ ., partygate? on sue gray, as you know, the cabinet office _ partygate? on sue gray, as you know, the cabinet office is _ partygate? on sue gray, as you know, the cabinet office is reviewing - partygate? on sue gray, as you know, the cabinet office is reviewing the - the cabinet office is reviewing the circumstances of her departure, i won't preempt their finds, i won't comment further on that situation. but with regards to the french, as you heard me say before, there's no one silver bullet to solving this problem. it is a complex problem and we need to use all the levers and tools at our disposal, and a crucial one of those is cooperating with not just the french, but also our european allies. so i was really pleased after i became prime minister, having spoken to president macron who managed to get their

calle group up and running, are home secretary attended that. it's european countries coming together to discuss the shared towns we all face and how we can solve it. that meeting happened and there are some very tangible things coming out about our data sharing... specifically with the french, we announced the biggest deal that we've had for more patrols on beaches, more than 40% significant and better cooperation and collaboration between our teams. again, ijust got back from dover talking about the difference of our works. and i'm very grateful, i put on record my thanks, the home secretary has been over there to speak with them herself, i'm thankful for the cooperation of the french teams on the ground, they work closely with our teams and because of the work they do, they help intercept around half of all the attempted crossings, and that

number varies, at the moment it's on the way up because... but that's part of the conversation will be having on friday, how can we strengthen, deepen and broaden that cooperation? but this is a shared challenge, and you're seeing across europe, france is looking at new laws to tighten up their asylum regime, germany has appointed a special commissioner on asylum, italy is looking at new laws to talk about how they regulate certain rescue operations in the mediterranean. because many countries are facing the same challenge, it'll be easier to deal with it, particularly on upstream enforcement with our law enforcement agencies, because the best thing we can do is disrupt the gains at the source before people arrive here, and that something we can do more of an hopefully we will be having that conversation on friday, as wealth stopped but i'm grateful to the teams in france for this support and cooperation they have with us. gb

news. ., ., ., cooperation they have with us. gb news, ., ., ., , i cooperation they have with us. gb news. ., ., ., , �* , news. tom harvard, gb news. on the face of the — news. tom harvard, gb news. on the face of the bill. _ news. tom harvard, gb news. on the face of the bill, the _ news. tom harvard, gb news. on the face of the bill, the home _ news. tom harvard, gb news. on the face of the bill, the home secretary i face of the bill, the home secretary says she's _ face of the bill, the home secretary says she's unable _ face of the bill, the home secretary says she's unable to _ face of the bill, the home secretary says she's unable to make - face of the bill, the home secretary says she's unable to make the - says she's unable to make the statement _ says she's unable to make the statement for— says she's unable to make the statement for the _ says she's unable to make the statement for the provisions l says she's unable to make the | statement for the provisions of says she's unable to make the - statement for the provisions of this bill are _ statement for the provisions of this bill are compatible _ statement for the provisions of this bill are compatible with _ statement for the provisions of this bill are compatible with the - statement for the provisions of this bill are compatible with the human| bill are compatible with the human rights legislation— bill are compatible with the human rights legislation which _ rights legislation which incorporated _ rights legislation which incorporated these - rights legislation which| incorporated these into rights legislation which - incorporated these into domestic law. incorporated these into domestic law atready _ incorporated these into domestic law. already legions _ incorporated these into domestic law. already legions of _ incorporated these into domestic law. already legions of lawyers l incorporated these into domestic. law. already legions of lawyers are preparing — law. already legions of lawyers are preparing to — law. already legions of lawyers are preparing to tackle _ law. already legions of lawyers are preparing to tackle you _ law. already legions of lawyers are preparing to tackle you over - law. already legions of lawyers are preparing to tackle you over this i preparing to tackle you over this legistation _ preparing to tackle you over this legislation. firstly, _ preparing to tackle you over this legislation. firstly, are - preparing to tackle you over this legislation. firstly, are you - preparing to tackle you over this legislation. firstly, are you up. preparing to tackle you over this. legislation. firstly, are you up for the fight? — legislation. firstly, are you up for the fight? and _ legislation. firstly, are you up for the fight? and secondly, - legislation. firstly, are you up for the fight? and secondly, what's. legislation. firstly, are you up for. the fight? and secondly, what's plan b if they— the fight? and secondly, what's plan b if they win? — the fight? and secondly, what's plan b ifthey win? titt_ the fight? and secondly, what's plan b if they win?— b if they win? of course we are up for the fight. _ b if they win? of course we are up for the fight, we've _ b if they win? of course we are up for the fight, we've been - b if they win? of course we are up for the fight, we've been standing| for the fight, we've been standing here —— we wouldn't be standing here if we weren't. but we are confident we will win. 0n the section statement, it's really important for everyone to recognise there's absolutely nothing improper or unprecedented about pursuing bills with the statement. it does not mean the bill is unlawful, we believe that it the bill is unlawful, we believe thatitis the bill is unlawful, we believe that it is lawful, that we are acting in compliance with our

international obligations. and we are also meeting our relations to the british public, to make sure we have control over their borders and it is them and their elected resident stomach representative to decide who comes here. —— their elected representatives. the previous labour government in 2003 used the statement as they were passing legislation, and we believe we are acting in compliance with international law, with the echr, and if challenged, you may well be right and as we've seen in these matters, we do get challenged, we will fight that hard because we believe we are doing the right thing and it is part of our obligations. i would say we are confident that we are acting in compliance with our obligations. and again, pointing out the rwanda policy, which many people said again was wrong and we expected the challenge on it, as you saw a recently, we were successful in

defending that policy, i think unequivocably successful in the high court, that policy is now moving to the court of appeal in just over a month's time, so we await the outcome of that. but we are confident in our arguments that we are doing the right thing, and the courts will see that, as well. talk tv. ~ , , ., courts will see that, as well. talk tv. ~ , tv. prime minister, you said you will do whatever _ tv. prime minister, you said you will do whatever is _ tv. prime minister, you said you will do whatever is necessary - tv. prime minister, you said you will do whatever is necessary to | will do whatever is necessary to stop _ will do whatever is necessary to stop the — will do whatever is necessary to stop the boats. to follow on with that question, does that include teaving — that question, does that include leaving the echr if necessary to keep— leaving the echr if necessary to keep your— leaving the echr if necessary to keep your promise to the public? and if i may, _ keep your promise to the public? and if i may, a _ keep your promise to the public? and if i may, a huge part of this plan is detaining people, often for long periods _ is detaining people, often for long periods of— is detaining people, often for long periods of time, according to legislation — how many detention centres _ legislation — how many detention centres are you planning to build, where _ centres are you planning to build, where will— centres are you planning to build, where will they be, and how many will they— where will they be, and how many will they house? we where will they be, and how many will they house?— where will they be, and how many will they house? we don't believe it is necessary — will they house? we don't believe it is necessary to _ will they house? we don't believe it is necessary to leave _ will they house? we don't believe it is necessary to leave the _ will they house? we don't believe it is necessary to leave the echr, - will they house? we don't believe it is necessary to leave the echr, we | is necessary to leave the echr, we believe we are acting in compliance with it, and meeting our

international obligations. as i said also, we are meeting our obligations to the british public to have control over our borders and ensure it is their elected government that's in control of who's coming here. i believe we are acting entirely rightly and correctly in that regard. and i take the obligations seriously, as does the home secretary, and that's why we've worked long and hard to design a piece of legislation that is tough, novel and ambitious, but it is in compliance with our international... and i'm confident it will be effective. the idea is not to have to detain people for long periods of time, and actually what the bill does is completely change how we process people's claims to stop that from happening. because part of the problem we have at the moment is people can frustrate the system because they can make one claim, then down the line they can make another claim, then another — almost 70% of people that we detained

pending a removal then filed a modern slavery claim. people were told they would go to rwanda, and two thirds blamed modern slavery towards the end of the process. we can't have a system like that which can't have a system like that which can be taken advantage of. so with this new piece of legislation today saysis this new piece of legislation today says is you've got to make your claim right at the beginning, any and all claims that you have, and we will hear it quickly — in fact, there's very few that will be valid under this new system — and we will process them in a matter of days or weeks. it's like the idea that people are kept here for indefinite periods of time, we want a system that works far quicker so that we can swiftly remove people. we do have thousands of detention places already and are in the process of building over 1000 more in two different sides, and we'll make sure that that bill is delivered and the work is already started. but we are very confident in what it does, which is not about detaining people for months on end, it's about

processing them very quickly, which the bill will allow us to do and then removing them. brute the bill will allow us to do and then removing them. we leave that news conference _ then removing them. we leave that news conference there _ then removing them. we leave that news conference there with - then removing them. we leave that news conference there with the - then removing them. we leave that l news conference there with the prime minister rishi sunak talking about the government's policy, a new plan that was announced in the house of commons today to stop illegal migration through small boats across the channel. the prime minister was saying the government's new proposed legislation will stop people coming to the uk, he said the proposals are tough and necessary, and fair. there'll be a debate about it, but he said we've tried every other way it hasn't worked. he said his government would deliver on his promise to stop the boats, as migrants will know they will be deported swiftly in weeks. he said, "i wouldn't be standing here if i didn't think i couldn't deliver on this." more on the website. the labour party opposition and also refugee charities have said that the

government's plans are unworkable. you are watching bbc news. hello. we've seen some lovely weather watcher a pictures of the snow coming through today, but it has been causing disruption, and it will continue to cause disruption over the coming few days. different parts of the country, though, with many seeing some potential transport delays and cancellations, even stranded vehicles. we're looking at that much snow, power cuts with the ice and the blizzards. the warnings are numerous, there on the website, and we are fairly confident it's going to be snow because we're all in the arctic air now. so, the snow showers are certainly been coming down too, very low levels across scotland through the course of the day. we'll continue to see that

through this evening, overnight in northern ireland, across northern scotland, down the east coast, as well. and increasingly so, actually, tonight we could see a light smattering in southern areas and then again tomorrow. 5—10cm through tomorrow afternoon and evening is likely to cause some disruption. and then on thursday, different areas again, really, midlands, north wales, northwards to scotland, quite widespread disruptive snow and blizzards, really strong winds here, and that could cause some icing concerns as well for power lines. so, we have lots to keep our eye on. as for the rest of this evening and overnight, the showers will continue across northern scotland, around the coast elsewhere. this is the area of rain turning to snow in that cold air. so we could have a light covering by the time we wake up in southern parts in the morning, certainly very icy. and where we've had the showersm as well, because it looks set to be widely cold overnight, frosty the coldest night of the year so far, particularly for scotland, —13—14, but a crisp and a sunny start. although there'll still be a few snow showers, as you can see in the north, and then we start to turn our attention to the south. it's quite grey right near the coast first thing, but plenty of bright sunshine

elsewhere, just 4—5 celsius. and the winds starting to pick up in the south, as well, which will accentuate the chill. and actually, that's when we start with that issue into the afternoon and evening. we could see 5—10cm snow south of the ma, in particular, across southern england, south wales, parts of the south midlands and east anglia. that's going to cause some disruption if that comes up, so we'll firm up on details. and then, by thursday, this deep area of low pressure comes in — so strong winds blowing that snow around as it falls quite steadily for several hours across northern ireland, north wales, northern england, probably into scotland, as well, perhaps turning to rain in the south, but staying put across central areas and blowing the winds around, causing blizzards.

at six. the prime minister sets out his plans for a new law to stop illegal migration — insisting it will work. rishi sunak toured a home office control centre in dover — as the government announced plans to ensure anyone who enters the uk illegally will not be able to claim asylum. it is this country and your government who should decide who comes here and not criminal gangs and i will do whatever is necessary to achieve that. it comes amid a sharp rise in the numbers crossing in recent years — 65,000 last year alone. but labour says the government's plans won't work. they have been in power for 13 years. the asylum system is broken, and they broke it.