British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is hoping to avoid election ‘oblivion’ this week by not accepting asylum seeker returns from Ireland, a leading journalist has said.
It follows revelations that around 80% of asylum seekers coming to Ireland are arriving from the UK through the Northern Ireland border.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin told Newstalk last week that asylum seekers in the UK are ‘fearful’ of the country's Rwanda Bill and this is having a “real impact” on numbers entering Ireland.
Sunak told ITV News this evening that he was ‘not interested’ in accepting asylum seeker returns from the EU, via Ireland.
On The Hard Shoulder today, former BBC and Sky News journalist Dermot Murnaghan said the British Prime Minister is taking his stance because of this week’s local elections in the UK.
“He’s getting the Brexit band back together, having a row with Ireland and the EU – it’s perfect,” he said.
“This is a guy who is looking further ahead to the general election, but he’s looking to this Thursday when there are local elections.
“All the polls say they’re going to get a whopping; they’re going to lose 400 or 500 seats and the wagons are circling to try and defend him.
Election 'oblivion'
Mr Murnaghan said Ireland is “collateral damage” when it comes to the UKs immigration plans.
“I don’t think they know what the end is going to be to the project, but nevertheless ‘Brexit must be done’ and everything else is worth throwing under the bus,” he said.
“Good relations with Ireland, the Windsor agreement, it doesn’t matter anymore when they’re fighting like cats in a sack.
“Basically, they’re facing oblivion and that could be sooner rather than later for Rishi Sunak.”
'Electioneering'
European politics professor John O ‘Brennan said “electioneering” on Sunak’s behalf is resulting in deteriorating relations between the UK and Ireland.
“The common travel area between the two jurisdictions has been in place since 1925 and I think most people would argue that it's worked very well for both jurisdictions,” he said.
“But what Sunak is doing, which is driven by electioneering, and the fact the conservatives have no other policy to run on other than this extreme migration policy, that’s what’s plunged this relationship into crisis.
“Sunak desperately needs this win and is engaging in performative cruelty to try and get that win and he’s prepared to do untold damage to UK and Irish relations in the process – that’s the problem.”
Prof O'Brennan added that Ireland "didn't anticipate" how far the UK would diverge from EU immigration policy after Brexit.
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