We had some positive news this week, with inflation falling to 7.9% - the lowest level it’s been in more than a year.
Halving inflation by the end of 2023 was one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities for the year - this is a step in the right direction. However, there is more to be done, and the government will continue to work to drive down inflation and tackle the cost of living.
Another of the Prime Minister’s five priorities is illegal immigration and this week saw the government pass the Illegal Migration Bill, which will help secure our borders and stop the dangerous boat journeys on the Channel.
The number of illegal small boat arrivals has been overwhelming our asylum system and this simply cannot continue. As such, last year the government announced five steps to curb the issue of illegal immigration, which I outlined in a previous article. I am pleased to say that small boat arrivals to the UK dropped by 20 per cent since the measures were introduced.
Building on this progress, the new Illegal Immigration Bill will further help get this issue under control. The bill will ensure that, if someone enters this country illegally, they will be swiftly detained and returned back to their home country. In addition, the number of appeals and challenges available to suspend removal will be radically narrowed. We will also disqualify the use of Modern Slavery rules to prevent removal, whilst if someone is identified as a potential victim of modern slavery, they will be safely returned to the home from which they were removed against their will.
In a further effort to dissuade people from making these dangerous journeys, if someone enters this country illegally, they will face a permanent bar on lawful re-entry to the UK and a permanent bar from securing settlement in the UK or from securing British citizenship through naturalisation or registration.
I am proud of our history of supporting those in genuine need of protection and, once we reduce illegal migration, we can do more to help the most vulnerable through safe and legal routes.
This week also saw the UK sign our biggest trade deal since Brexit, being the first European country to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) bloc.
The CPTPP bloc is made up of 500 million people and is worth £12 trillion and 15 per cent of global GDP. We will be partnering with Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand, along with emerging markets such as Mexico, Malaysia and Vietnam. This will provide substantial opportunities for a free-trading global Britain.
Some of the benefits include support for hundreds of thousands of jobs across the UK (one in every 100 UK workers was employed by CPTPP-owned businesses in 2019), boosting investment in the UK from CPTPP countries, bringing new opportunities to businesses across the UK, boosting UK exports by reducing trade barriers and cutting tariffs, opening up new markets and slashing red tape for UK services exports, along with removing unjustified barriers for our cutting-edge digital firms.
Sadly, much misinformation has been spread about the CPTPP. However, our negotiations ensured protections on healthcare, the environment, animal welfare and food. Moreover, as a signatory to the CPTPP, the UK would crucially not be required to cede control over its laws, borders or money.
Following Brexit, we are now able to develop an independent trade policy and establish closer economic and diplomatic ties to the world’s fastest growing economies.
